Augustgradian Adventure
by Zulon
Summary: The Knothole Freedom Fighters head to the heart of the Terran Republic to recruit the Terrans as allies, but Eggman's not the only sinister threat lurking within the shadows. (Remake of my original story) Blends elements from Sonic X, Sonic Boom, and Archie Sonic.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Augustgradian Arrival

Location: The Daedalus

Evening...

* * *

The bridge of the Gorgon-class Battlecruiser was a virtual hive of activity, with Fleet Admiral Gaskaville standing in the midst of it all. With hands clasped behind his back, he stared out the main viewport, watching as Central City came into view. He heard the doors to the bridge slide apart, causing him to glance over his shoulder and find Princess Sally stepping inside. The two marines who were guarding the bridge attempted to deny her access, but the Admiral was quick to put a halt to that.

"Something I can do for you, ambassador?" he asked.

"I wanted to apologize for any wrong impressions that Sticks may have given you," she stated.

"And why would that be?" he questioned.

"Sticks has lived in isolation for most of her life," Sally explained, "Amy's been trying to help her adapt to civilization."

Sticks, in her usual paranoid self had accused one of the Daedalus' crewmembers of trying to steal her identity, with the intention of replacing her with a robotic double. It had nearly resulted in violence, but Amy had thankfully stepped in to calm down the situation.

"Am I to assume that she really wasn't meant to be here?"

"You wouldn't be wrong in that assumption."

"I'll take that into consideration, Ambassador," he said, "Mr. Borisov, open a channel to the control tower at Central City Airport."

"Aye," a youthful man replied, "...channel is now open, Admiral."

"Control tower, this is the Daedalus," he declared.

 _"Go ahead, Daedalus,"_ a voice said, cracking through unseen speakers.

"The Ambassador and her companions will be departing shortly," the Admiral stated.

 _"Understood, Daedalus. Hanger 10 has been reserved for the Ambassador's aircraft."_

"Acknowledged," Gaskaville said, turning to face the princess, "We'll be within range in the next fifteen minutes, you'd best get a move on."

"Thank you, Admiral."

Turning around, Sally exited through the same doors she had entered and stepped into the hallway that lay beyond. It was large enough to allow two marines in full CMC Powered Combat Suits to walk down side-by-side. Currently without NICOLE, Sally was required to utilize an AVA unit in order to maintain contact with the other members of the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Removing the device from her vest, she slid the device apart, and exposed the thin, neon blue screen.

"Sonic, are you there?" she asked.

The hedgehog's face appeared on the screen, but he was in the midst of a conversation with someone off screen. The amount of noise in the background indicated to her that the Freedom Fighters or at least Sonic was still within the Daedalus' cantina.

"-a jukebox mounted to the ceiling?" he said, before turning to face the camera, "Yo Sal, what's shakin'?"

"Have everyone gather at the Freedom Fighter Special," she said, "We'll be departing as soon as I arrive."

"I'll let the others know," he replied as the screen went dark.

She made her way through the ship, following the signs that were mounted against the Neosteel walls to the elevator.

* * *

Location: Central City

Fifteen minutes later...

* * *

Rotor piloted the Freedom Fighter Special towards the mainland, the light of Central City became visible against the growing darkness. The aircraft touched down on the tarmac and came to a complete stop once it pulled into an open hanger. The X-Tornado landed mere moments later, with Tails transforming it into the X-Cyclone so as to fit within the hanger.

"We made it," Amy cheered as she trotted down the loading ramp followed by the others with bags in hand.

"Remember this is a diplomatic mission," Sally reminded, "We need to set a good example to these Terrans if we hope to persuade them to ally us."

"Isn't there suppose to be someone here to meet us?" Sonic asked, approaching with Tails and Chris.

"The Prime Minister's aide was suppose to be here to greet us, but-" Sally said as she was interrupted by Ray.

"S-someone's c-coming."

Sure enough a black limousine was tearing across the tarmac and was headed in their direction before slowing to a stop in front of the hanger allowing a young woman to step out and began approaching them. She was of Asian ancestry with neck length black hair and dressed in a short black skirt with a white blouse, high heels and a pair of reading glasses.

"Miss Acorn?" she asked, "I'm Yoki Uresaki, Prime Minister Carmichael aide. I apologize for him being unable to greet you when you arrived."

"That's quite alright," Sally replied, "I'm sure he's very busy."

"That's good to know," she said, "Well then, we should get going,"

The group placed their bags and equipment within the truck of and piled into the limo before it headed along the tarmac. Exiting the airport, they were joined by vehicles from local law enforcement and two SUVs containing members of the Internal Security Division. As they headed in the direction of the Prime Minister's residence, Miss. Uresaki began an explanation of the city's history.

"Central City is not only the capital of the Mar Sara Province but the capital of the Terran Republic as well. It was the first Terran Colony founded over seven hundred years ago, but back then it was known simply as Central."

"How large is the city?" Sally asked.

"It covers 22.43 square miles with an elevation of 460m, and is divided into five districts: The Airport, the City Center, Beacon Hill, Jackson Heights, and Coal Harbour," she replied.

"And where would the Prime Minister's residence be?" Tails asked.

"The Prime Minister's Residence is located between Beacon Hill and Jackson Heights."

"It looks like there's some sort of festival," Sonic said noticing the banners and lights hanging from the numerous building and trees.

"That would be for the upcoming weeklong festival celebrating the establishment of the Terran Republic," Yoki explained, "you've chosen the perfect time to come here."

"What's that building over there?" Chris asked, pointing to the gleaming white building with a bronze roof.

"That's the National Assembly building," she replied, "It's where the elected members of the legislature sit. The sunsets are spectacular when reflecting off the rooftop on a clear evening."

The motorcade eventually reached its destination, passing through a large rot-iron gate and slowed to a stop out in front of a sprawling mansion located off the only road that led into the Jackson Heights neighbourhood, but still within the chic Beacon Hill district.

"Whoa!" Mighty exclaimed, "It's huge."

"Following the establishment of the Terran Republic, it was donated it to the government when it was agreed that Central City would served as the capital. Its served as the residence of the Prime Minister ever since."

The group exited the vehicle and retrieved their bags and equipment, entering the Prime Minister's residence only moments later.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Meeting the Prime Minister

Location: Prime Minister's Residence

10:14 pm...

* * *

The Mobians didn't get to meet the Prime Minister immediately; instead they were treated to dinner and each given a private room that they would use for the duration of their stay, before Miss Uresaki led Sally and Sonic to the Prime Minister's office.

"The Prime Minister will be with you shortly. Please remain here," she said as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Maaann! You think he could've met us sooner," Sonic complained as he flopped down on a black leather couch that was against the wall next to the door.

"He's a very busy man," Sally said as she crossed the hardwood floor to a nearby wall, "running an entire nation isn't easy trust me."

"Well...I've got to admit, I was kinda expecting their capital to be a little more high-tech," Sonic said placing his hands behind his head.

"I know what you mean," Sally admitted, crossing her arms, "The Daedalus was quite an impressive piece of Terran engineering, though ugly. I imagine they prefer function over ascetics when it comes to their technology."

"Meh, guess you're right."

"Don't say that. I've been craving a Meh Burger since leaving Westside Island," the chipmunk sighed.

Having been pacing around the office, Sally stopped before a detailed map of Augustgrad that was mounted on the wall. Central Augustgrad was made up of three islands that contained the provinces of Mar Sara, Chau Sara, Diamond Hills, Ash'Arak, and Korhal. To the right of the provinces of Mar Sara and Korhal was a large island called Umoja, while to the left of the provinces of Chau Sara, Diamond Hills, and Ash'Arak was another island; Torsonis. To the north of Torsonis was another island about half its size called Halcyon. Finally to the north of Umoja were several small islands that together made up the province of Tyrador. Each and every province with the exception of Tyrador was interconnected with several bridges and roads.

"This place is huge," Sally muttered.

Just then the door opened causing Sonic to suddenly spring into a sitting position as a man with short red hair, blue eyes, and dressed in a gray tracksuit entered the room with the aid of a cane.

"My apologies for keeping you," he said.

"That's quite alright," Sally said, understanding why he had been unable to meet with them at the airport.

"And there's Sonic," the Prime Minister said, "You have all our thanks for rescuing our beloved princess."

"It was nothing," Sonic said, "But I wasn't the only one who helped."

"Yes...well we have much to discuss," Carmichael said, "Unfortunately that will have to wait until tomorrow."

"We understand," Sally said, "We've all had a long day."

"I have your ID cards," he stated, offering her a bulky brown enveloped, "Thank you for providing us the necessary information. Please do not lose them as they are the only means of entering and exiting the estate grounds."

Sally accepted the envelope and opened it, pulling free several cards coated made of hard yet bendable plastic. Each one contained a small photograph with name, birthdates, residence, and country, while the emblem of the Terran Republic; an inverted red triangle with what appeared to be a black missile overlaid atop it.

"There's also gift cards courtesy of the people of Augustgrad with a limit of five hundred credits," he explained.

"Hide Amy's," Sonic said sarcastically, "She'll have hers all spent before we leave."

"I'm also aware that travelling with you is a young man from Station Square," Carmichael said.

"That would be Chris," Sonic said.

"I would certainly like to have a chat with him. There are none in Augustgrad who live that remember our ancestral homeland."

"We'll be sure to inform him, Mr. Prime Minister," Sally said.

"Other then that, I have nothing more for you," he stated, "We'll meet again in the morning and begin discussing the reason for your visit."

* * *

Location: Central City

Later that night...

* * *

Sonic had been tossing and turning for almost two hours after he and Sally had met with the Prime Minister and it was all in a vain attempt to get comfortable, and he was fighting a losing battle. Sonic let out a sigh as he stared up at the ceiling of his darkened room before he flung the covers from his body and climbed out of bed and walked over to the door where he slipped his feet into his sneakers, and exited the room, but not before grabbing his ID card. Anything would be better then lying awake till dawn and going for a run would be a much needed distraction for him. He tiptoed down the hallway, passing by several closed doors before reaching the entryway of the mansion, slowly descending down the large curved staircase that was the most dominant feature in the area. As he finally planted his feet on the marble tile floor and made a short walk to the front door, opened it, and stepped outside. The hedgehog took a breath of cold, yet refreshing air and gazed around the grounds, which was well lit with neatly cut grass, blooming flowers and cherry-blossom trees that provided shade and carpeted the cobblestone walkway with petals.

"Can't sleep?" a voice asked causing the hedgehog to slow to a stop and found Mighty sitting on a wooden bench within the garden.

"Yeah...It's hard to sleep when the bed's not your own. What about you?"

"I hear ya, been tossing and turning since going to bed," Mighty replied, "figured some fresh air would help."

"I'm gonna go exploring. Gotta good look at most of the city while we were being shown around, but I'd like to what else there is," Sonic said, "Plus it'll be better then just tossing and turning till morning."

"Too bad Knuckles couldn't come along, bet he'd like it here," Mighty murmured.

"Yeah, seems kinda weird that Knucklehead isn't here," Sonic admitted. "but you know him, he was never one to like the big city."

"True. Even when Echidnaopolis was still standing he still preferred that little habitat of his," Mighty admitted.

"Well I'm off," Sonic said.

"Don't stay up too late," Mighty said imitating Sally.

"Yeah! Yeah," Sonic snorted as he began walking off, "See ya later Mighty."

The blue hedgehog walked away leaving the Armadillo behind, enjoying the scenery before finally reaching the main gate of the estate. Suddenly a wall mounted screen activated near the gate followed by a voice.

"Adjutant Online. Good evening, how may I be of service?"

Sonic turned to see what looked like a face staring at him, it was feminine but highly mechanical.

"Oh! I was just going out for a run," Sonic replied.

"Very well, I require your ID card in order to log your departure," the Adjutant explained.

Sonic slipped the card out of his glove and waved it in front of a scanning device causing the gate to slid open.

"Your departure has been logged. Please have a safe outing and be sure not to lose your ID card."

"I will," Sonic replied as he raced out through the open gate.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Arrested Development

Location: Mar Sara Province

Sometime later...

* * *

Sonic wasn't sure how long he had been running and admittedly he didn't care; he just enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing through his fur as he crossed the countryside. His exploration had taken him out of Mar Sara and into the neighbouring province of Chau Sara, with very little to differentiate one province from the another. Sonic slowed to a jog, taking in what sights he could that were illuminated by the artificial moon and stars. He eventually passed by what appeared to be a large refinery on the outskirts of a small farming community. The settlement was called Anthem, according to the sign posted outside the town, and it was there that Sonic decided that it was about time to stop and take a break. There wasn't much to Anthem, it was your typical farming town where nothing exciting ever happened, making Knothole look exciting by comparison. With growing thirst, the hedgehog skidded to a stop outside a convenience store, which remained open despite the late hour. He purchased a bottle of soda using what Credits he had acquired during his time in Soleanna and emerged from the store, taking a seat on the sidewalk outside. There was a group of bored-looking teenagers milling about in an adjacent parking lot, something that the hedgehog could hardly blame them for. Sonic finished his drink and stood up, tossing the bottle into a nearby garbage and deciding to head back to Central City. He was already halfway across the entrance of the parking lot when a deafening boom echoed across the night sky.

"OH MY GOD! SOMEBODY CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT!" screamed one of the teenagers.

Sonic turned in the direction of the boom and discover a fireball rising up from one of the farmhouses.

"That's not good," Sonic muttered.

He burst into a run and darted across the road, cutting off the lone jeep that just happened to be traveling down it. Leaping over a fence, Sonic bolted across the field and found that the roof of farmhouse was completely engulfed in flames.

"I hope no one's still inside," he muttered to himself.

If there were occupants still inside there was a good chance that they'd need help, and the fire department wouldn't get to the building in time. Choking black smoke poured out of the broken windows of the farmhouse, and the screen door laying several meters away, blown off its hinges by the force of the explosion. Sonic reached the front porch of the farmhouse and pulled his scarf over his face as he ducked inside. Despite his eyes burning from the smoke, Sonic could immediately tell that something wasn't right. It was dilapidated and untidy, with garbage and furniture strewn all over the place. He made his way down a hallway and found a man laying propped against one of the walls, directly across from the kitchen. The man's arms and face had suffered severe burns, which clearly placed him at the heart of the explosion. He grabbed the unconscious man and half-carried, half-dragged him towards the front door of the farmhouse. The Emergency Services had arrived on the scene when Sonic emerged from the building, but didn't expect the reaction he got.

"FREEZE! HANDS IN THE AIR!" one of the officers yelled.

"Whoa! Wait a minute I'm not involved in this!" Sonic shouted.

"GET...ON...THE...GROUND!"

"C'mon! I didn't do anything wrong!

The officer fired his weapon and imbedded a pair of small spikes into the Hedgehog's chest as several volts of electricity shot through his body, his muscles seizing up as he collapsed to the ground in a heap. The cops were on him in seconds, his hands cuffed behind his back as he was shoved into the back of a police cruisers, his body having not yet recovered from being on the wrong end of a taser gun.

* * *

Location: Riksville

Two hours later...

* * *

Sergeant Lars Trakken slammed his hands down on the table causing Sonic to flinch as he sat within the interrogation room of the Riksville Police Department; a town located just outside of Central City. The man had dirty blonde hair with menacing green eyes, while his right side of his face bore three long scars.

"You like Crab?" Trakken asked.

"Excuse me?" Sionic questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"What about Snoke? Bog? Turk? How about Fireweed? We already got on the Methamphetamine charges and for resisting arrest," the Terran stated.

"Look I wasn't involve in that. I was just pulling that guy out of that blazing building."

"You mean your partner? Bet you and he were cooking a batch in that meth lab that was a bit too volatile and it blew up in your faces."

"I'm telling you; I'm innocent," Sonic stated.

"Yeah they all say that. Drug trafficking is a serious crime, with a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison," Sergeant Trakken explained, "If you cooperate maybe I'll put in a good word for you."

"You want me to confess to something that I didn't do? Do you have any idea who I am?" Sonic asked angrily.

"I frankly don't care," the Terran replied, "I don't like people trafficking their poison through my neck of the woods, just make it easy on yourself."

"I'm not saying another word, until I get my phone call," Sonic said defiantly.

"Fine. Maybe a few hours in the ice box will make you more complacent," he said as wave to the tinted glass.

Several seconds later a pair of officers entered the room and placed cuffs on Sonic before leading him out of the interrogation room. He was led down the hallway for several minutes until they reached an empty holding cells within the cellblock and was shoved inside once his cuffs had been removed. As he entered the cell he found that it contained only a small cot, stainless steel toilet, and a small sink.

"Great..." Sonic muttered as he sat down on the cot and placed his hands on his face, "Sal's gonna kill me."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Release

Location: Prime Minister's Residence

The next morning...

* * *

The chirping of the birds located outside his bedroom window was enough to draw Chris out of his sleep, completely groggy from the restless night he had had. Yawning, the young human threw the blankets from off of his body and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, before climbing out of bed. He walked over to the wall mounted flat-panel television and switched it on, causing the logo of UNN - the state-owned media network to appear on the screen. The logo was soon replaced by a the news anchor with unremarkable features.

"Welcome back to UNN. I'm Nora Colby and this is this morning's news. Velerian Mengsk; son of Defence Minister Arcturus Mengsk was on hand yesterday for the official opening of the Juliana Pasteur Cancer Research Center," she said as her image was replaced by that of a young man.

He was a rather handsome individual, with blonde hair that was parted in the middle, gray eyes, and dressed in a dark suit as his stood amongst the reporters hounding him with questions while photographers snapped his picture.

"My mother died of cancer," the man said, "That is why I dedicate this building in her honour. It is my hopes that the research conducted here will one day lead to a cure."

The video ended and returned by to the anchorwoman who continued her report.

"Juliana Pasteur died earlier this year after a lengthy battle with cancer. Velerian has been openly critical of the Health Minister and the Finance Minister due to their lack of proper cancer funding. In other news; a farmhouse erupted in fire in Anthem over night in what police are referring to as a converted Methamphetamine Laboratory. Two individuals were arrested by local police, one was transported to Central City General where he remains in critical condition, while the other has been identified as Sonic the Hedgehog."

"OH MY GOD," Chris cried out as he bolted out his bedroom door.

He reached Sally room in less then thirty seconds and banged on her door, causing the princess to emerge from her room a minute later dressed in her blue nightgown, groggy and annoyed that her sleep had been disrupted.

"This better be good," Sally yawned.

"Sonic's been arrested!" he stated, causing Sally to immediately snapped out of her sleepiness.

"Good one," she admitted, "What's he been arrested for this time?" she asked.

"Some meth lab caught fire and Sonic was found at the scene," Chris replied.

"Oh wonderful! This was not the impression I wanted the Terrans to have of us," Sally said pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What's all the commotion?" Amy asked emerging from her room dressed in a nightgown.

"Sonic's in jail," Sally replied, "...again. I need one of you to find one of the servants and have the Prime Minister woken while I get dressed."

* * *

Location: Riksville

Two hours later...

* * *

If it hadn't been for the fact that she was fuming with anger Sally might've enjoyed the trip taken through Central City, but instead her attention was fixed on what she was going to do to Sonic once they had gotten him out of police custody.

"This was not how I pictured the start of my day," Sally muttered.

"Nor mine," Carmichael replied sitting within the back seat wearing a dark suit, "My Deputy Prime Minister will be meeting us there. Hopefully we'll have him released and be back within the hour."

The Prime Minister's cell phone began ringing and he was quick to answer it.

"Hello? Oh hello Miranda, I assume you've finally arrived at the airport? Good, call Timothy and let him know you've arrived. I'm currently in Riksville with the ambassador. One of her companions appears to have gotten himself into a bit of legal trouble and we're headed down to bail him out. I'll see you soon. Love you."

"I thought you said that you said your family was due home last night?" Sally questioned.

"They were, but their flight had mechanical problems. They didn't leave Tyrador until last night," he replied as he went about returning his cell phone to his breast pocket when it let out a beep that caused him to look at it.

"What is it?" Sally asked when Carmichael didn't immediately say anything.

"It's an SMS Text Message from my Deputy Prime Minister and it's not good," he replied.

"Great, like we need any more problems," Sally said, "What does it say?"

"According to Jorgensen, the arresting officer was Sergeant Lars Trakken, he's known rather infamously for his use of heavy handed tactics to get confessions and his dislike of Mobians. Sonic had his rights violated when he was refused his request to make his phone call," the Prime Minister explained, "and because you're here for diplomatic talks your diplomatic immunity extends to him as well as the rest of your friends."

"Prime Minister, we've arrived at our destination," the driver reported as he pulled into the limousine into the parking lot of the Riksville Police Department.

"Do you see Jorgensen anywhere?"

"He's standing just outside the entrance," the drive replied.

"Well," Carmichael said opening the car door, "let's get this over with."

It was just a short walk to the front of the building, but the Prime Minister was forced to move at a slower pace aided by his cane in an effort not to overwork himself needlessly. They were soon greeted by a man dressed in a dark suit with oily dark hair that was slicked back, dark eyes, and facial features like a hawk.

"Princess, this is Maximillian Jorgensen, my Deputy Prime Minister," he introduced.

"I just wish it was under better circumstances," Jorgensen said, "come along, let's get your friend released."

The trio entered the department and found it to be a hub of activity with numerous conversations being played out all at the same time over the sounds of ringing telephones, while officers dressed in blue uniforms were busily running about. The group stopped in front of a small visitation desk with a young man sitting at it.

"Just a moment, please," the man said.

"Take your time," replied politely causing the man to look up at them.

"Oh! Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"You arrested a young man last night and we'd like him to be released under the grounds of diplomatic immunity," Jorgensen explained.

"Alright, can I get a name please?"

"Sonic the Hedgehog," Sally replied.

"Just one moment," he said entering the information into his computer, "Hedgehog, Sonic. Arrested last night at Anthem at 2:35am for Drug manufacturing. I'll tell the guard that he is to be released immediately."

The man grabbed a phone that was resting nearby and punched a number on the keypad and began speaking to the individual on the end of the line.

"So which one is the one who arrested Sonic?" Sally whispered to Carmichael.

"Let's try not start anything," Jorgensen warned.

"I had no intention. I was just curious that's all," Sally replied.

"Dirty blonde standing next to the vending machine," Jorgensen replied.

"I can see why people feel he's so intimidating," Sally said upon noticing the trio of scars that marred his right cheek.

Sonic emerged from the back, escorted by another officer and looked eyes with Sergeant Trakken.

"I should sue your ass," Sonic said to him when he suddenly noticed Sally, "Um...is it too late to put me back in my cell?"

"OH NO YOU DON'T," Sally said as her anger had suddenly boiled over.

She stormed over to the hedgehog, seizing him by the scarf and proceeded to drag him outside.

"Geez Sal, not so rough," Sonic complained rubbing his neck several minutes later.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FRIGGING MIND!?" she yelled.

"Hey! Back off Sal," Sonic shouted, "those were trumped up charges."

"I know that, but the Terrans don't," Sally said crossing her arms, "they probably think we're trying to traffic illegal drugs out of the country. And now it's gonna be harder to convince the Terrans to join. Much harder."

"HEY! I pulled that guy outta a burning building, how was I supposed to know it was a meth lab. I even told them I wasn't involved and you know that that got me? A few hundred volts from a stun-gun," Sonic said his own anger rising.

"There's no point in arguing what already happened," Carmichael stated emerging from the police department along with his Deputy Prime Minister, "We just need move forward."

Sally and Sonic looked at one another and realised that the Prime Minister was indeed correct.

"What about that cop?" Sonic questioned.

"Marshal Raynor will be notified of this incident," Carmichael stated, "He's flown out with his family to visit his parents in Shiloh, otherwise he'd have had you freed before now."

"I'm sorry for lashing out at you like that," Sally apologized.

"Yeah me too," Sonic replied.

"Well now that that's settled we should really be heading back, we still have much to discuss," Carmichael stated.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Preparations

Location: Prime Minister's Residence

Several hours later...

* * *

After being stuck in and 8x8 cell for the past several hours Sonic was just glad to be free as a bird. The hedgehog emerged from his private room and found Tails standing on the other side of the door quite prepared to knock on it.

"Hey Tails. What's up?"

"We're due to have lunch with the Prime Minister and his family," Tails explained, "Sally asked me to fetch you."  
"Yeah sorry about that," Sonic replied, "Is everyone already down there?"

"They are," Tails answered, "We shouldn't keep them waiting."

"Agreed. Let's get going then."

Sonic and Tails preceded downstairs and found the others standing at the entrance of a large, grand dining area with wood floors, an elegant and no doubt expensive Sunwood dining table that had been imported in from the Chau Sara Province and a massive crystal chandler that hung from the ceiling. The Prime Minister was standing within the room with three others when the Mobians entered.

"I'd like you to meet my family," Carmichael said

"Hello, I'm Miranda," the woman with short blonde hair, dark blue eyes and wearing a yellow sundress introduced.

"I'm Molly," a girl in her late teens with light blue eyes, orange hair that was tied back into a ponytail and wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans said.

"I-I'm Leon," a young boy no older then seven with dark brown hair with a reddish hue, olive coloured eyes, and dressed in a suit similar to the one his father wore stammered nervously.

The Mobians and one Human introduced themselves and soon sat down to a bowl of piping hot chicken and dumplings; the Prime Minister's favourite before Molly broke the silence.

"So...are we gonna start with the sodomy jokes now or after lunch?"

"Molly!" Carmichael cried out, "That's highly inappropriate."

"What? It funny," she said defensively.

"There's a time and a place for stuff like that. This is not that time."

"Ok, ok! Sorry," she apologized, "I just thought I'd lighten the mood."

There was definitely an awkwardness in the room and Sally immediately went about remedying the situation by getting right down to business.

"We need to discuss Robotnik and the possibility of joining our alliance alongside the United Federation," Sally stated.

"I'm gonna make some calls to the other party leaders for an emergency session of the Assembly but they will most likely be unable to make it till the middle of next week," Carmichael explained, "I would strongly suggest pleading your case to the National Assembly."

"What? You just can't say yes or no to help in the fight against Eggman?" Sonic asked rather rudely.

"Sonic," warned Sally.

"It's a little more complicated then that," Miranda stated, "the government is currently a minority."

"M-minority?" Ray stuttered.

"The National Assembly consists of 308 seats, currently my political party holds only 114 of those seats," The Prime Minister explained, "the other seats are divided amongst the other political parties forcing me to make concessions and deals in order to garner the necessary votes in order to get bills passed."

"Eggman already attacked Soleanna, isn't that incentive enough?" Sonic asked.

"There are those who would say that Soleanna was just waiting to be attacked because it's located out in Murasia," Carmichael began, "they'll just blame lack of security and blame it on my Defence Minister; who frankly has a lot to answer for."

"What can I expect when I speak in front of the Assembly?" Sally asked.

"Humanity First will unanimously oppose anything you have to say," Carmichael explained.

"You mean they won't even hear us out?" Amy asked in shock.

"How can I put this simply…they are well…"

"Racists," Molly said butting in.

"Thank you," Carmichael said with an irritated tone.

"What's the point of sugar coating it, dad? They have a right to know," Molly replied.

"…Very well," Carmichael said with a sigh, "Humanity First is a small political party made up of Overlanders and Terrans who were against allowing your people into Augustgrad. Rumour has it that they also have militant wing, but so far there's been no hard evidence to prove its existence and they even deny it."

"How lovely," Mighty muttered.

"Are we in any danger?" Sally asked concerned.

"Not at all," Carmichael replied attempting to alleviate their fears, "Other then protests and the odd hostage situations it's remained peaceful."

"I'd be willing to hand over all tactical information on Robotnik," Sally said steering the subject away from the topic of terrorism.

"Uh...Sal. remember what happened that last time you did that?" Sonic warned.

"Please explain," urged the Prime Minister.

"Our village of Knothole was briefly host to seventy Overlander Families who had been rescued from New Megaopolis," the princess began, "In order to convince the President to allow these refugees to resettle in Station Square, I handed over all tactical data on Robotnik. When they imputed it into their O.T.I.S. Defence Computer, it launched an pre-emptive nuclear strike against Robotnik's capital."

"Grandpa mentioned something about that," Chris stated, "The government never publicly acknowledge the incident. Thank god it was unsuccessful."

"I understand your concern, rest assure; the Terran Republic's nuclear stockpile are limited to small tactical nukes, and those can only be launched by Ghost Operatives."

"Ghosts?" Amy asked.

"Individuals with Psionic-based abilities; telepathy, telekinesis, and so on," the Prime Minister explained, "When such individuals are found, they are inducted into the Ghost Program for specialized training."

"Any theories as to how your people came to develop these abilities?" Tails asked.

"It's more fact then theory," Carmichael said, "there is a gas called Terrazine that can be found in Murasia that acts as a potent psionic reagent. Long-term exposure to this variation of Vespene gas clearly had an effect on the physiology of our ancestors."

"And what do these gifted individuals do? It sounds as if they're military," Sally said.

"Not all end up in the military, some are assigned to the Shadowguard; a branch of the Internal Security Division, while others are deemed inadmissible to the Ghost Program."

"Why is that?" Rotor questioned.

"Some are exempt from recruitment into the Ghost Program because their Psi-Index is too low, those individuals are drafted as Wranglers who hunt down other psychics."

"What if an individual is high-profile?" Mighty asked.

"Depends on how high-profile we're talking about," Carmichael said, "The Old Families wield enough political influence to avoid the conscription of their family members."

"You've already met one such individual," Molly stated.

"We have?" Sonic questioned.

"Princess Elise," Leon said having be silent for most of the conversation.

"WHOA! Wait, you mean that Elise is a telepath?" Sonic asked.

"Well...that's not the right type of classification, she's not a telepath, she's classified as a clairvoyant; someone who is able to witness events before they can happen. Although admittedly her abilities are oftentimes unreliable. Believe me we would never allow our princess to be involved in that sort of thing."

"WOW!" Amy said struggling to even find words, "That's...wow."

"I have a question," Tails piped in after a moment of stunned silence, "how is it that your technology is so advanced? Even your cousins in the United Federation don't have technology as advance as what we saw in Soleanna."

"Ah! Now that's quite a tale. We have many brilliant minds here in the Terran Republic, but our technology is actually derived from advance Pre-Xorda War technology that our ancestors discovered housed within a large underground armoury," the Prime Minister explained, "It's been theorized that the armoury was actually one of the doomsday vaults that were built during the 21st century. In the event of some sort of worldwide catastrophe the survivors could open the vaults and retrieve what's inside in order to help rebuild society."

"So what type of weaponry was found inside and are their more vaults out there?" Sally asked.

"To answer your first question there was a large number of projectile-base weaponry inside as well as a small number of energy-base weaponry. But when we tried to develop our own energy-based weapons they were much too large to be wielded effortlessly and required far too much energy to be reliable. The technology was ultimately used for the ship based weaponry of our vehicles and aircraft. As for your second question we Terrans discovered two other vaults located here in Murasia but there are most likely other spread around the world, one was a so called "Ice Zoo" which contained various frozen animal embryos and eggs which we used for agricultural purposes. The other was an archive that held all of humanity's collective history as well as a vast collection of literature, which you are more then welcome to take a look at in the estate's library."

"What's everyone's plans for today?" Miranda asked.

"I was gonna head into town and do a little shopping," Amy stated.

"Told you," Sonic whispered to Sally.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but today's a statutory holiday. Nothing's open today," Molly said, "At least not until tonight when the festival begins."

"What a relief," Sally whispered back to Sonic.

"I was going to head over to the airport to retrieve the X-Tornado," Tails replied, "I've got some concerns that not everything was working properly."

"You'll need to reframe from flying within the city," Carmichael said, "At least until we get you an IFF Beacon. The last thing we want is for someone else getting arrested. I'll contact my Military Advisor and see if he can acquire one for you."

"Well that changes my plans," Tails muttered, "Perhaps I'll take you up on that offer to check out the estate's library."

"Given what happened last night, I think I'll stick around here," Sonic commented.

"Probably not a bad idea," Molly stated.

"Think I'll stare at the box that slowly devours my soul day-by-day," Sticks stated.

"You mean TV?" Sonic questioned.

"Yeah, that's it."

"What are you guys planning on doing?" Sally asked, looking at Bunnie and Antoine.

"Ah think we might go for a walk later on," Bunnie stated, hooking her arm inside that of her husband.

"Think Ray and I might do a little exploring," Mighty stated.

"Try not to get arrested," Sally warned.

"We'll be such to stay away from any meth labs."

"I haven't decided what my plans are," Chris admitted.

"I would very much like to discuss the homeland with you," the Prime Minister said.

"I think I'll get a head start on that speech. I have to be ready," Sally said standing up, "thank you for the meal. It was lovely."

"Your very welcome, Princess," Carmichael said, "if the rest of you plan to attend the festival tonight you should probably be ready to leave at six this evening."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Prospectors

Location: Burning Rift, Murasia

Later that afternoon...

* * *

Looking down at the rivers of boiling rock that crisscrossed the Burning Rift wasn't exactly filling Decoe or Bocoe with a sense of confidence. Numerous distinctly Terran buildings had been erected on more stable ground, but they looked as if they hadn't seen use for some time.

 _"Oh...why did Dr. Eggman send us?"_ the gold robot complained.

 _"Because, who else can he trust with this task?"_ Bocoe questioned, _"Bokkun?"_

 _"I think he's just trying to get rid of us,"_ Decoe stated, _"why else would send us to this godforsaken place?"_

Though successful in their eluding of the Terran forces, the Egg Carrier had sustained damage that had grounded it. Dr. Eggman could naturally repair it, but the damage to the vessel's reactor was a more immediate concern. The E-01 Reactor had suffered a breached during their engagement with the Terrans, leaking much of its supply of fuel. A replacement fuel source had been located, but acquiring it meant braving the Burning Rift and stealing it right out from under the Terran's noses.

 _"Well...he has been putting us in life threatening situations as of late,"_ Bocoe admitted.

 _"We're more abused then Snively,"_ Decoe remarked.

 _"At least we're not doing this alone,"_ his companion stated, gesturing to the robots standing behind them.

The Guard Robos were the mass-produced knockoffs based off the salvaged remains of E-102 Gamma; the doctor's more successful E-Series Unit. They were unpainted, retaining their steel gray in colour, while also lacking the arm-mounted laser cannon of the original.

 _"We should start there,"_ Decoe stated, pointing to a large domed building that appeared to be some sort of operations center, _"It looks important enough."_

Bocoe nodded in agreement and the robot began a careful decent down the mountainside, the Guard Robos flying down after them. They reached their destination several tense-filled moments later and quickly bolted up the access ramp. The interior was command bay was pitch black, the only light spilled in from the outside of the building.

 _"Hold your position here until we return,"_ Decoe ordered the nearest Guard Robo.

 _"Acknowledged,"_ it droned.

With the arduous task of getting the buildings back online, the two henchbots chose a hallway and headed down it.

 _"Don't you think it's weird that these Terrans simply abandoned the area?"_ Decoe asked.

 _"I donno,"_ Bocoe admitted, _"But whatever the reason, it's possible that these Terrans won't be stopping by to interfere."_

The golden henchbot couldn't argue with his counterparts assessment, though he was understandably concerned that he would be proven wrong. After several minutes of stumbling around aimlessly, it quickly became apparent that they had gotten themselves lost.

 _"Should we head back?"_ Decoe questioned.

 _"Hmm...maybe we should,"_ Bocoe admitted.

They were about to head back the way they came when Decoe spotted a service ladder that descended into the building's lowest section.

 _"What's that?"_ the golden robot questioned.

 _"Must lead down to the generator room,"_ Bocoe suggested.

Shimmying down the ladder, the two henchbots found themselves in a chamber that was even darker, with only a blinking green light to guide them. The light was part of a dimly lit wall panel that was part of the generator's control mechanism for the entire command center. Decoe approached the panel, taking a moment to thoroughly study the layout before proceeding any further. There were three light beneath the flashing green one, each one indicated the current level of power. There was a yellow switch located right next to the green light, while a section of the panel that contained a leaver. Grabbing the leaver, Decoe pressed down on it, which suddenly caused one of the lights to suddenly go active. Pressing the leaver down two more times brought all the lights on the panel active and the golden henchbot triggered the switch. The generator came to life in the most deafening way possible, supplying power throughout the entire structure.

 _"YEAH! WE DID IT!"_ Bocoe declared, giving Decoe a high-five.

 _"Let's find the_ _operations room,"_ he suggested.

With both in agreement, the two henchbots headed back in the direction they had come, meeting up with the squad of Guard Robos.

 _"Head to the refineries,"_ Decoe ordered, _"We'll bring them online momentarily."_

 _"Acknowledged,"_ the Guard Robo droned as it and its companions headed back outside.

Decoe and Bocoe had less trouble finding their way to the operations room now that power had been restored. Located two floors up, the operations room had a ring of transteel windows that surrounded the entire room. Bocoe approached one of the command consoles, taking his time to study the layout of the screen. From that console, he found that could route power to the various structures in the immediate vicinity, and didn't hesitate to do so. As if on cue the sound of churning machinery could be heard coming from the refineries as puffs of green smoke were expelled from the smoke stacks.

 _"Refineries are back online,"_ Bocoe stated.

 _"All Guard Robos, divide into groups and let's gets get this job done and over with,"_ Decoe ordered.

As the Guard Robos spread out in groups with, each picked a refinery to work on while Decoe and Bocoe watched from the Command Center. The process was slow going at first, but soon the first of the Guard Robos emerged from the refineries carrying a steel drum of the precious fuel and deposited it onboard the shuttle they had summoned. They were on track to completing their mission within a half an hour when an alarm sounded and a voice came over the facilities PA system.

"ALERT: LAVA SURGE IMMINENT. EVACUATE LOW GROUND IMMEDIATELY!"

 _"What's going on?"_ Decoe demanded.

 _"Tectonic activity,"_ Boce explained, _"This area appears to be volcanically unstable."_

 _"That would explain why the Terrans abandoned this area. Dr. Eggman must've already known about this before he sent us here,"_ Decoe stated, _"All units, get to higher ground."_

The Guard Robos abandoned all that they were doing and scrambled to reach safety as geysers of liquid rock shot into the air and rained down on the hapless robots as magma suddenly spilled over and flooded the area.

Decoe and Bocoe could only watch helplessly as two of the Guard Robos were lost along with the fuel that they had been transporting. The magma slowly receded leaving a fiery carpet of quickly cooling rock, but none of the echidnas were prepared to cross their way back to the landing platform.

"ALL CLEAR: IT IS NOW SAFE TO PROCEED WITH MINING OPERATIONS!"

 _"Everybody finish up what you're doing and rendezvous with us at the shuttle,"_ Bocoe ordered.

The Guard Robos gathered up a few more barrels of fuel and loaded them aboard the shuttle when Decoe and Bocoe approached.

 _"Too bad we weren't able to gather much information from the data banks,"_ Decoe complained, _"That command center's not connected to the Terran Data Network."_

 _"Do you think we have enough fuel?"_ Bocoe questioned.

 _"It better be. I don't want to have to come back here,"_ Decoe said.

"FREEZE! STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" a voice shouted.

Decoe and Bocoe turned to discover a pair of Terran Dropships had landed nearby, depositing two squads of marines decked out in CMC-400 Powered Combat Suits and armed with deadly Gauss rifles.

 _"HOLD THEM OFF!"_ Decoe shouted as he boarded the shuttle with Bocoe.

The remaining Guard Robos took up defensive positions, their arms transforming into a pair of deadly blaster cannons as they fired searing energy at the Terrans as the shuttle took to the sky and fled the scene. Even though the energy fired off by the Guard Robos were extremely dangerous, the 8 mm. armour-piercing metal spikes fired by the marines rifles proved to superior compared to the Guard Robos armour plating.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Night of Celebration

Location: Prime Minister's Residence

That evening...

* * *

Multicoloured fireworks shot into the air from a ship anchored out in the river that separated Beacon Hill and Jackson Heights from the City Center and Coal Harbour, lighting up the night sky. The Prime Minister should've already left to attend the celebrations, instead he found himself in a tele-conference with both his Minister of Defence and his Minister of Natural Resources.

"Damn it," Carmichael said, "And you're certain, Arcturus?"

The Minister of Defence was an imposing man with a bearded face and wind-swept black that had long ago begun to gray. His attire was both militaristic and regal, consisting of brown and gold, fitting for a member of the Old Families. Due to their altruism, the Mengsk Family was able to avoid the stigma usually associated with members of the Old Families.

"One hundred percent, Prime Minister," he replied.

Several hours ago, robots believed to be affiliated with Dr. Eggman had successfully made off with several barrels of Vespene fuel from an abandoned mining operation out in the Burning Rift. The area had been deemed tectonically unstable, and the very act of mining the precious fuel was contributing to the instability.

"Who previously claimed ownership of that area?" Carmichael asked.

"The Burning Rift was previously claimed by Tavish Kerr," Corbin Phash answered.

The Prime Minister glanced over to the wall where the image of a man with light coloured hair that hung in his face, piercing eyes, and a hint of five o' clock shadow was projected onto the wall panel screen.

"What's the best course of action going forward?"

"I can have him fined for failing to dismantle his mining sites."

"What about Cauley?" Mengsk asked, "I can see he's conspicuously absent from this meeting."

"He's avoiding me. Isn't that right, Freyja?"

"I have thus far been unable to reach the Director Cauley," the disembodied voice stated.

"Keep trying," Carmichael told the AI.

"Why am I not surprised," Corbin said, shaking his head, "Tamsen's been keeping a low profile ever since the Soleanna Incident."

"Which would never have happened had the Internal Security Division done its job," Mengsk commented.

"What are the chances that this has compromised our security?" Carmichael asked.

"You mean on top of what's been compromised while Dr. Eggman's been hiding up in the White Acropolis Peaks?"

"The Command Center schematics are your basic roving resource processors, there's no potentially sensitive information stored within its data banks," Corbin stated.

"Let's not take that chance. Freyja, contact the Ministry of Public Safety and have them raise the alert level to orange," Carmichael ordered.

"Understood, Prime Minister."

"I'll contact DuGalle," Mengsk stated, "I'll make sure that any updated information gets sent your way."

"I should go as well," Corbin said, "There's celebrations here inElsecaro and I promised Colin we'd attend. Talk to you later, Victor."

As the image of Corbin faded away the Prime Minister was left alone within his office, shaking his head at the situation that had unfolded.

"Victor! We need to get a move on," he heard Miranda call to him.

"I'll be right down!"

* * *

Location: Beacon Hill

Ten minutes later...

* * *

Chris and the Freedom Fighters wondered along the cobblestone streets packed with Terrans, Overlanders, and Mobains. There were plenty of vendors selling everything from souvenirs to food for the hungry partygoers. They were in the company of Molly and Leon, although Sticks had remained behind at the Prime Minister's estate, having ranted and raved that aliens were coming for them.

"There's s-so many people," Ray said.

"It's like this every year," Molly explained, "People from all over the Terran Republic travel here to celebrate."

"All this food looks really good," Sonic commented, rubbing his hands together.

He had stopped at one of the food stands, eyes having fallen upon a large chunk of meat that was rotating on a vertical spit.

"Try the Antigan Buffalo, it may not be good for you but it's delicious," Molly suggested.

"What can you tell me about the Old Families? Your father and King Routhe really didn't speak much about them."

"Ugh! You really want to discuss those degenerates?" Molly questioned.

"Doesn't sound like you have a very high opinion of them," Chris commented, surprised by her reaction.

"Not many people do," she replied, "You'd be disgusted with them if you knew the type of things they've done just to maintained their position of power. I'm surprised that they weren't forced to disband when the Confederacy did."

"Who makes up the Old Families?" Amy asked.

"There are eleven families that hold membership. The most notable are the Bennets, the Brubakers, the Calabas, the d'Arbanvilles, the Dukes, the Falcos, the Holts, the Kusinis, the Terras, and the Tygores. I'm I missing any?" she asked, looking at her step-brother.

"Megnsk?" Leon replied.

"Oh...right. Guess the Megnsk Family isn't so bad compared to other members of the Old Families. Like Emmett Tygore, who murdered the kids of a semi-prominent shop owner and he got was sent away to a rehab facility."

"That's despicable," Sally commented.

"Megnsk? I remember there was a Valerian Megnsk on the television this morning," Chris stated.

"Yep. He's the only child of Arcturus Mengsk; my father's Defense Minister, and the late Juliana Pasteur."

"I can imagine these aristocrats weren't too happy losing so much power," Sonic said, returning to the group with a Buffalo Kabob and a Gyro in hand.

"Talk to Andrea Tygore if you want to listen to her bitch and moan about how things were so much better under the Confederacy."

"She was alive back then?" Sally asked in surprise, "She must be in her eighties...nineties even."

"Hundred and sixty," Molly said nonchalantly.

"What?" Rotor asked, believing he had misheard.

"She's nearly a hundred and sixty. By the time of the Confederate Civil War, she was already a senior citizen."

"You much have some impressive medical technology," Tails said.

"She'd be able to afford top notch medical care," Molly stated, "Though it could be that she's too stubborn to die...that, or she's got no soul for the devil to take."

"I'm surprised your parents didn't come," Sally said.

"They'll be here," Molly replied, "Dad's gonna speak before the crowd."

The group stopped at a corner cafe and took a seat at a table on the patio as they listened to the music, although it was a tad too loud for her taste. Sally happened to glance over at Molly when she noticed the circular pendent around the young lady's neck with a five pointed star in the center.

"Is...is that a pentagram? Sally asked.

"Um...actually it's a pentacle," Molly said hesitating as she grabbed the pendent with a hand.

"Well it looks like the symbol of the Devil?" Sonic questioned.

"That's because she's a witch," Leon said aloud.

"Hey! That's no way to talk to you sister!" Amy shouted.

"No it's true. I'm a Wiccan; a practitioner of Witchcraft," Molly stated.

"Is there a story behind this?" Mighty asked.

"I was twelve...I was going through a Goth phase and it was one of those things that I found I fitted in with during my awkward teen years," Molly explained, "it's a lot better then some of the things that I could've gotten involved in."

The music suddenly stopped, causing everyone to turn their attention to the stage where Prime Minister Carmichael had take his place before the microphone.

"He got down here quick," Mighty commented.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Can I have your attention please," the Prime Minister began, "Over seventy years ago we were at war with one another, fighting for the heart and soul of our civilization. Today, we stand today united in the celebration of the founding of our Republic. We must never forget the lives that were lost during the civil war, nor those who freely sacrificed themselves so that we could have this new beginning."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Deception

Location: Chau Sara

Evening...

* * *

With only one settlement, Chau Sara had the distinction of being one of the least populated province within the Terran Republic. As he steered his armoured groundcar along the road that stretched out before him, Tamsen Cauley could see the first lights of Quatre Bras. Named for the historical battle of the Napoleonic Wars, it had strong French-Spanish influences and was designed to resemble the French Quarter of New Orleans. It also boasted the largest Mobian population, specifically those who had fled from the distant kingdom of Mercia. Pulling into a parking lot, Cauley emerged from the vehicle and began the arduous task of making his way through the crowd. The streets had been closed off to traffic, allowing Terrans, Overlanders, and Mobians to pour out into the streets in celebration. Every settlement was celebrating, yet Quatre Bras seemed more suited to celebratory events then any other. Splashes of neon reflected off the pools of water that remained from a rainstorm from earlier that day, produced by signs denoting the various bars and strip clubs of the area. Moving through the streets, Cauley reached a three-story building with bright red bricks and back metal balcony and stepped through the entrance. The lobby of the Palme D'or Hotel was mostly empty of guests and were easily ignored by him as he headed for the elevator. He rode all the way to the rooftop terrace, which served as the hotel's restaurant, finding it mostly vacant, which meant there was less of a chance that anyone would recognize him. He strolled over to the balcony, planting his hands against the railing and gazed over the side at the crowded streets below. His blue eyes fixed upon 'The Groovy Train', a coffee shop that had recently come under the ownership of a elderly sheepdog and her cat friend.

"Bah! Filthy vermin," a voice stated, "Don't you agree, Director Cauley?"

Cauley turned, discovering a man with thick brown hair seated at one of the booths that overlooked the streets below. He was dining on Duck Foie Gras, while sipping on a glass of Pinot Noir, the bottle resting in a bucket of ice nearby. It didn't take Cauley long to recognize the individual; Baxter Goodall, the leader of the Humanity First.

"I'm trying to remain incognito, you shouting it from the rooftop is achieving the opposite effect," he said angrily.

"Calm yourself, Director," his companion said, "We're perfectly safe up here."

Cauley was only able to catch a glance of the back of the man's head before pulling the hood of his black robe over his black hair, keeping his identity concealed.

"Of course, General."

"And even you must admit these Mobians have integrated into our society quite seamlessly, Goodall," he stated, rising to his feet.

"We're in Quatre Bras," Goodall stated, "the majority of these Mobians were originally from Mercia before they settled in this city, so of course they'd have integrated well."

Goodall's companion said nothing, instead he turned his attention directly onto the Director of the Internal Security Division.

"You failure to detected Dr. Eggman is putting our plans at risk," he stated.

"I will not take responsibility for this, General," Cauley insisted, "Soleanna should be handling their own security and intelligence."

"The treaty sighed with the Kingdom of Soleanna stipulates that matters involving security and intelligence be handled by the Terran Republic. The blame for this will be laid directly at your feet," he said, jabbing a gloved finger in his direction.

Cauley opened his mouth in an attempted at a retort, but found that nothing he said would justify the lack of action he had taken.

"The Prime Minister has summoned all MP's back to the National Assembly for an emergency session," Goodall stated, "The Mobian Ambassador will be pleading her case before the chamber."

"Republic of Acorn," the General said.

"What?" questioned Goodall.

"She's from the Republic of Acorn," he corrected, "Calling her the 'Mobian Ambassador' is incorrect considering that her nation is just one of many out there."

"Whatever," Goodall said dismissively, "Humanity First will not be in attendance."

"As is usually the case in matters regarding the Mobian population," Cauley commented.

"We should strike during the Ambassador's speech to the Assembly," Goodall suggested.

"Let's not be too hasty, Baxter," the General warned, "I believe Ambassador Acorn could prove herself surprisingly useful to us. And who knows, we might be able to use Dr. Eggman to our advantage as well."

"Now whose putting us at risk?" Cauley scoffed.

"I agree that we should consider moving our schedule forward however," he admitted, ignoring Cauley's comment, "Is the Cerberus Program ready for activation?"

"They are. I've learned my lesson when it comes to non-resocialized troops," Cauley replied, "I have some loose end that are in need of tying up first."

"There'll be no more playing hide and seek with the War Pigs," the General warned, "Leave those degenerate outlaws be."

The War Pigs was a secretive military program that served as an alternative to Neural Resocialization. Culling recruits from the local prison population, it prevented the loss of unique talents and expertise that would've otherwise been wiped away during the resocialization process. He had utilized the War Pigs a number of times, mostly to eliminate those who posed a threat to his powerbase. Ordering the assassination of the Prime Minister had been a poor decision on his part, resulting in the entire group going underground.

"They could expose everything I've done," Cauley insisted.

"Then you'd best hope they don't," stated Goodall.

"Is Delta Unit still conducting surveillance on the Prime Minister?"

"Of course. Surveillance on his estate is conducted on a 24 hour basis," Cauley replied.

"Good. Have them switch focus on Ambassador Acorn and her companions."

"What about the National Assembly, are our people in place?" Goodall asked.

"We've already had the Assembly Guard replaced with those loyal to the cause," the director answered.

"Excellent. I'll be in contact with you both following the Ambassador's speech to the National Assembly," the General said.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Day of Relaxation

Location: Prime Minister's Residence

The next morning...

* * *

Chris and the Freedom Fighters entered the dining room and found that a cornucopia of breakfast items had been prepared for them by the estate's staff, however the area was absent of any people.

"I wonder where everybody is?" Chris asked, glancing over in Sonic's direction.

"Donno," Sonic replied with a shrug, "Guess we're eating alone today."

"Everybody's just busy," Leon explained, entering into the room.

The boy was still dressed in a pair of light blue pajamas with a button-up top, while his hair was a complete and utter mess having not yet been combed as he took a seat at the table with the others before filling his plate.

"Mom had to leave for some fundraiser thing, and Molly's headed up to the raceway. Dad's been in a teleconference since early this morning."

"How do you know that?" Amy asked.

"Cause my bedroom is right next to his office and he's not as quite as he thinks," Leon replied with a yawn, "It sounded really serious."

"How serious are we talking?" Sally asked worried.

"It was Dr. Eggman!" Sticks blurted out, appearing behind the group.

"What did he do this time?" Sally asked, turning to face the badger.

"They were talking about it after you left," Sticks explained, "He stole fuel from an abandoned mining site that afternoon."

"He did what!?" Rotor cried out.

"Why didn't the Prime Minister say anything?" Tails questioned.

"Because, I didn't want to ruin your evening," Carmichael answered, appearing in the doorway.

"I would've preferred if something had been said," Sally stated, crossing her arms.

"If I show you a video would you be able to confirm that it was indeed him?" the Prime Minister asked.

"I suppose," Sally said.

"Freyja, run file," Carmichael ordered.

A holographic screen appeared over the table showing several robots who were busily moving a number of barrels onboard a waiting transport.

"Those robots look like Gamma," Amy stated, recognizing them almost immediately.

"And there's Decoe and Bocoe..., what a surprise," Sonic commented dryly.

"Why would Eggman steal fuel?" Mighty asked.

"A ship the size of the Egg Carrier's gotta run off something," Rotor stated.

"Eggman usually has his own power supply," Tails said, "but seeing the amount of firepower that the Daedalus was unleashing may have damaged the Egg Carrier in such a way that the reactor no longer works."

"Did they steal anything else?" Sally asked concerned.

"Both my Defence Minister and Minister of Natural Resources assure me that there was no sensitive information stored within the Command Center's data banks. That being said; I have advised the Minister of Public Safety to raise the Alert Level."

"Still seems like a major breach of security," Tails commented.

"It also doesn't help that the Director of the Internal Security Division hasn't been returning any of my calls. Everything involving Dr. Eggman has been occurring on his watch."

"Sounds like you've got problems of your own," Amy said.

"Heaven help us all if he were to get inside Augustgrad," Carmichael said, shaking his head.

"Excuse me," one of the servants said entering the room, "But your Military Advisor has arrived Prime Minister, he's waiting in the foyer."

"Send him in, Timothy," Carmichael ordered.

Several minutes later a stern-faced man in his late forties to early fifties was escorted into the estate's dining room. He had short black hair and thick sideburns, and was dressed in a neatly

pressed green military uniform.

"Morning Vasillj," Victor said, "Everyone this is Vasillj Tatarin, my Military Advisor."

"Good morning. I was able to get a hold of that IFF Beacon that you requested," he said, producing a metal case.

"Awesome!" Tails said, trotting forward, "I've been wanting to take a bird's eye-view of Augustgrad in the X-Tornado."

"Need any help?" Chris asked, desiring to be of some use.

"Sure. Meet you outside."

"Maybe you should consider eating, before tinkering with the plane," Sally suggested.

"Eh, guess you've got a point," Tails admitted.

"Vasillj, could I see you in my office? I need your advise on a situation," Carmichael said.

"Of course, Prime Minister."

Watching the Prime Minister exiting the dining room with his advisor, Sally immediately turned her attention to her friends. Conversing amongst themselves, she picked up fragments of their conversations and was unsurprised to find that they had an assortment of plans that would take them to different parts of the Terran capital.

"Yo Sally-Girl, you in there?" Bunnie asked.

"Huh? Sorry what did you say?"

"Ah asked if ya get your speech done," she repeated.

"Oh, almost. I'm having a case of writer's block," the chipmunk admitted.

"Maybe you should try focusing on something else of a while," Chris suggested, "It's what I do whenever I'm struggling with a assignment for school."

"You have a point, Chris," Sally conceded, "And I really haven't given myself the chance to tour the city properly."

"No worries, Sal. You've got a hedgehog chariot right here," Sonic joked, pointing a thumb to his chest.

"You're ever the gentleman," she teased, "We'll head out after breakfast."

"Sure thing, Sal," he said, flashing the princess a grin.

"I'm back," a voice declared.

The group turned in the direction of the doorway and watched as Miranda Carmichael entered into the dining room.

"Oh! Good morning," she greeted, "I apologize for being away."

"There's no need," Sally said, "Leon said you were involved in some sort of fundraiser."

"That's correct. I'm on the committee along with Valerian Mengsk that helped raise funds for the reopening of the Central City Museum reopened," Miranda explained.

"Reopening?" Amy questioned.

"Yes. There was a fire a few months back and the east wing of the building was damaged," she explained, "but due to a lack of funds they were forced into closure."

"Such a shame," Sally said with a shake of her head.

"The grand reopening is actually tomorrow night. You and your friends are more then welcome to attend."

"First the Anniversary Celebrations, now a museum reopening. No rest for us, I guess," Sonic commented.

"It would allow us to rub shoulders with some important people," Sally said, "That would be wonderful, thank you."

"Can't make it," Sticks declared **.**

"Sticks...are you afraid to go?" Amy asked, looking in the badger's direction.

"Afraid? No! Of course not! No way. Nuh-uh. Nope!...A little."

"Sticks, there's nothing to fear,"

"Look at me. I'm a feral badger! I'll embarrass myself!"

"Don't worry. You'll be fine. I'll teach you to be a lady," Amy said.

"A...lady? That's the thing that holds garbage, right?" Sticks questioned.

"No! A lady is a polite, sophisticated member of society," Bunnie explained, "You can be that! Lesson one: Don't discuss garbage."

"I'm out."

"Come on! You can do this," Amy urged.

"Okay. I'll try," the badger said with a sigh.

"Excellent. It's a black tie affair, starts a seven, done by nine," Miranda stated.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Meet and Greet

Location: Central City

Evening, the next day...

* * *

The Mobians along with the Prime Minister and his family stepped out of the limousine into a large crowd of photographers and journalists that had been waiting for them on the steps of the Central City Museum.

"Ulgh! Paparazzi," Amy complained when she was blinded by the flashing cameras as she stood in her shimmering red gown.

"Can't really blame them," Carmichael said, "This is a big deal for a lot of people."

"The reopening of the museum? Or us?" Sally questioned, walking towards the entrance of the museum in her purple cocktail dress.

"Can't it be both?"

"I suppose. Looks like they've forgotten about Sonic's drug arrest from earlier."

"Huh?" Sonic asked upon hearing his name.

"Are you alright, Sonic," Tails asked.

"Naw. These fancy parties just isn't my thing," the hedgehog replied.

"It's just for two hours," Sally stated.

"Sticks..., are you doing alright?" Amy asked.

The badger was dressed in a black gown with a single sleeve and a white sash wrapped around her waist, her blue eyes regarding everyone with suspicion.

"Peachy," she replied.

The group passing the privately hired security and headed inside where they found numerous other Terrans and Overlanders standing in the cavernous entranceway making cheap talk and sipping cocktails before dinner.

"D-doesn't look b-big outside," Ray stuttered as he stood next to Leon.

"Yeah, the exterior of the building is really deceptive," Tails remarked.

The group was greeted by a middle-aged man of Asian ancestry with greying black hair and dressed in a suit just like all the other male guests.

"Greetings. My name is Doctor Charles Atsumi and I am the curator of the museum. I'd like to thank you for taking time out of your schedule to be here tonight," the man said.

"Hello Dr. Atsumi," Miranda said, "It's good to see that the funds that were raised were put to good use."

"I have you, Constantino Terra, and young Mengsk to thank," he replied, "the rebuilding would've never gotten off the ground without you."

"Doctor," Prime Minister Carmichael said, "Allow me to introduce you to Ambassador Sally Acorn and her companions."

"It's a pleasure to be here tonight," Sally said, shaking the man's hand.

"The pleasure is mine," Dr. Atsumi said with a smile, "Drinks are available and dinner will be served in the Pantheon within the hour. Please excuse me, I have other guest that I must greet."

"Let's go to the Pantheon now," Carmichael suggested once Dr. Atsumi was out of ear shot, "my knee is beginning to bother me."

The group soon reached the Pantheon which was little more then a wide open area where numerous tables had been set up for the guests.

"Man I'm bored," Sonic complained to Sally as they followed the Prime Minister through the crowd of people.

"We haven't been here five minutes," Sally said.

"You should just enjoy the evening," Amy stated.

"Yeah," Sonic muttered.

There was a large group of people in one area of the Pantheon and Sonic briefly caught a glimpse of a large man with short, but thinning gray hair who was dressed in military attire who radiated authority. He had an impressive physique, but he gave Sonic the impression that he was nothing more then a shaved gorilla that was posing as a man.

"Who's he?" Sonic asked Molly.

"General Edmund Duke, member of the Old Families and Commander of Alpha Squadron," replied the young Terran, "Never thought he was the type to enjoy museums."

"He looks kinda intimidating," Mighty said as the Prime Minister took a seat at one of the tables.

"He's always had that problem," Miranda explained, "people respect him mostly out of fear."

"Honestly, you'd think they would've dealt with the vermin when they rebuilt this place," a voice said loud enough for everyone to her.

The Mobians turned to see a gnarled old woman floating into the room seated in a hoverchair that was flanked by an entourage of people.

"Who's the big mouth?" Sonic asked.

"Oh god it Andrea Tygore; Matriarch of the Tygore Family," The Prime Minister replied, "Please let her break her hip, please let her break her hip."

"Sweetie, she's a hundred and sixty years old and paralyzed from the waist down," Miranda said, "Oh dear god she's coming this way."

"It's kinda ironic that she's in a museum, she must be visiting the other relics," Molly said bitterly.

"Shouldn't you respect your elders?" Amy asked.

"Considering the type of person she is...no," Carmichael said, "Andrea! Lovely to see you as always."

"Drop the act, Carmichael. You don't like me and I don't like you," she said rudely.

"Very well...what made you climb out of the tar pit this evening? Looking to bribe a building inspector perhaps?"

"Yes because you stand on such a moral high ground," she said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Tygore. I am Sally Acorn; Princess of the Acorn Republic," Sally introduced.

"Ew...get away, you're probably infested with fleas," she said leaving all the Mobians in utter shock, "Why your kind was allowed within our territory I will never know."

"Now wait just on second!" Sally said.

"Andrea! What a lovely surprise," A voice called out.

Those gathered turned to see four figures strolling through the dining hall. One was a blonde haired middle-aged man with a bushy moustache and wearing a dark blue suit, the other was a young woman with long blonde hair that was braded into ponytail, with vivid green eyes and dressed in a red gown that shimmered like countless rubies. The third figure was a tall woman with red hair and pale skin and clothed in a white silk gown that showed off her slim, willowy figure. The final figure was a young man that was the living definition of a pretty-boy, with short blonde hair, grey eyes and dressed in an outfit that was both regal and yet militaristic at the same time, with a red cape that flowed behind him.

"Tino. Good to see you," Andrea said.

They group took notice of the vain bulging on his forehead, yet he managed to maintain his outward composure.

"Do you have a moment?" Constantino asked, "There something that I'd like to ask you."

There was a sigh of relief as Andrea hovered away with Constantino in tow before Sally finally spoke.

"I hate her," Sally declared.

"She just likes winding people up, Don't let her get to you," the younger man said before introducing himself, "Valerian Mengsk."

"How is your grandfather doing? I heard he hadn't been doing well as of late," Carmichael stated.

"Grandfather's doing fine now, thanks for asking," Valerian said, "He was in need of a new kidney and the transplant was a success."

"I suppose the chances that his body would reject was greatly reduced given the fact that it was cloned from his own body," Miranda said.

"Hello, Uncle Victor," the young woman said kissing the Prime Minister's cheek.

"Hello, Nova. I'm surprised to see you here," Carmichael said.

"When I heard that the museum was reopening I begged daddy and Eleftheria to bring me," Nova replied, gesturing to the red head.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Prime Minister," she said.

"I see Bella's didn't come in with you," Miranda stated.

"Mrs. Terra has chosen to remain behind in Torsonis City," she replied.

"Wait! Is she not his wife?" Sally whispered to Molly.

"No. Marriages amongst the Old Families are rarely done so out of love," Molly explained, "It's a union of bank accounts, nothing more then that."

"That's...seriously messed up," Chris muttered, readjusting the tie of his cream-coloured suit.

"I heard that you've been training as a-," Miranda said before Nova raised her hand to cut her off.

"Please...I'd rather we not talk about it," Nova said.

"It's seems that your father once again saved my ass," Victor said.

"He knows how much you don't get along with her," Nova stated.

There was the sound of a fork being tapped against a wine glass near a microphone causing everyone to focus their attention on Doctor Atsumi who was addressing the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen. May I have you attention please."

* * *

Location: Central City Museum

Two hours later...

* * *

Sally stood outside one of the exits breathing in the refresh night air while she consumed her third Mojito of the evening. After her encounter with Andrea Tygore she had tried not to let the old Terran get to her but that was easier said then done. Sally stared out into the busy street and noticed a hedgehog walking across the museum's parking lot in her direction. As he drew closer, Sally realized that it's skin was actually black gold metal with a green gem inserted into the torso. Sally was immediately found herself on edge, recognizing the robot as the renegade Metal Sonic v2.5.

 _"Princess Sally,"_ Shard greeted.

"Metal Sonic," Sally said, "You broke into the Mobotropolis Computer Network."

 _"And tangled with Metal Sonic during Eggman's attack on Soleanna,"_ he reminded, _"And it's not Metal Sonic anymore...it's Shard."_

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

 _"My boss is pleased that you arrived safely,"_ he said, _"He would like to meet with you at a later date."_

"Why? Who is he?" she asked.

 _"He is someone you are familiar with,"_ he explained, _"As to the why; well...there is something you must be made aware of."_

"That's...unhelpful," the Princess said.

 _"I'm not here to provide you with exposition,"_ Shard stated, _"Further orders will be sent to you at a later date."_

"Yo Sal!" Sonic called out causing her to turn to see him standing in the doorway.

"We're leaving," Sonic said, "Sticks insulted one of the guests, and I don't think Leon or Ray's got much energy left."

"I'll be right there," Sally said.

As she turned back to the robot, she discovered that Shard had disappeared, though it was likely that he was nearby as his jet engine would've draw too much unwanted attention.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Mountainside Assault

Location: Egg Carrier, Murasia

Two days later...

* * *

Dr. Eggman sat within his command chair on the bridge of the Egg Carrier, the sound of the airship's numerous instruments accompanying his silent brooding. Decoe and Bocoe busied themselves with bringing the ship back online after having spent the past four days not only trying to retrofit the E-1 Reactor, but to repair the damage as well.

"Prepare for lift off and plot a coarse for Mount Murasia," Dr. Eggman suddenly ordered.

 _"What happened to conquering Soleanna?"_ Decoe asked, turning to face the doctor.

"This was never about conquering Soleanna," he stated, "It was a mere afterthought compared to my true motivates."

 _"Which was?"_ Decoe asked.

"The Deep Power Stones."

 _"What are the Deep Power Stones?"_

"They are a pair of crystals that I learnt of during my rule of Mobotropolis," the doctor explained, "Depending on how they are joined together, they're capable of generate enough power or destructive force."

 _"How come you're only just now seeking them out?"_ the golden henchbot questioned.

"They ultimately fell by the wayside when mystical objects like the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald became the focus of my attention."

 _"Except said objects constantly keep slipping through your fingers,"_ Bocoe muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Eggman growled.

 _"Nothing!"_

"That's what I thought."

 _"So these crystals, where are they?"_ Decoe asked.

"I've pinpointed the general location of Drood Henge to an area to the north of us," he replied, "I already had the E-39 Quizon excavating the site."

 _"Were they successful in locating the stones?"_ Bocoe asked.

"Oh...I believe so," he replied, removing a black stone from his jacket.

 _"Oooh!"_ both henchbots said in unison.

Half of the stone was jagged in shape, while the other half was smooth like a wave. It was as if both sides where meant to interlock with its counterpart.

"Preliminary studies indicates that the energy contained within the stone is 10,000 times more powerful then those found in one of Sonic's Power Rings."

 _"That's impressive, doctor,"_ Decoe stated.

"Yes. Pity that I require its counterpart stone in order to release the power stored within," he lamented.

 _"If anyone can unlock its power, it'll be you, doctor,"_ Bocoe said.

"You're right," he said with a wide grin, "I'll leave the Quizon behind to continue the excavation of the dig site. Get us airborne."

 _"What about the Terrans?"_

"The Terrans would never expect me to be so brazen as to attack the heart of their nation," Eggman said, "They'll be completely taken by surprise."

 _"We must deactivate the Umbrella Cloak and all non-essential systems in order to proceed with lift-off,"_ Bocoe warned.

"I already know that," Eggman snarled, slamming his fist into the arm of his chair, "and I am aware that doing so will leave us exposed. But I'll waste no more time."

They felt a shudder vibrate through the entire ship as the thrusters kicked in and it ascended into the sky.

 _"Enemy aircraft are converging on our location,"_ Decoe reported, _"Pursuers include: one Behemoth-class battlecruiser, twelve CF/A-17 Wraith, six Valkyrie missile frigate, and several unidentified vessel classes."_

"Looks like they hadn't given up the chase after all," Eggman admitted, "I want this ship at moving at maximum thrust. Bring all weapon-systems online."

 _"CF/A-17 Wraiths are moving into attack formation,"_ Bocoe reported as the Egg Carrier shook from the impact of several Gemini AA missiles.

 _"Behemoth-class battlecruiser preparing to open fire,"_ Decoe reported.

"Fire all weapons, target that cruiser. We can't risk taking a hit from its Yamato Cannon!" Eggman yelled.

Every missile and laser battery of the Egg Carrier immediately targeted the massive warship and opened fire on it, the attacks screaming through the air as they flew towards its intended target but fell short when they struck the ship's defensive shields.

"Did you know their ships had shields?" Robotnik asked, glancing over at the henchbots.

 _"Incoming attack,"_ came an alert as the entire ship shook violently.

Several fighter-bombers, the same class of ship that had been present during the skirmish in the desert flew past and prepared for another bombing run.

 _"Mount Murasia, dead ahead!"_

"Excellent. Ready the Final Egg Blaster," he ordered.

Weathering the storm of weapon fire, a long, thin cannon slid out from the bow of the ship and began charging. Electricity danced along the barrel of the cannon as a ball of energy formed at the tip, building in power before firing. The blast collided with the mountain face and for several seconds nothing happened as the rock began to get superheated before exploding outward leaving a gapping wound in the mountain as rocks the size of buses rained down on the jungle floor. The Egg Carrier pushed forward, passing through the newly created opening, leaving the Battlecrusier unable to pursue.

* * *

Location: Prime Minister's Residence

Twenty minutes later...

* * *

"This show is cheesy, isn't there something else on?" Sonic asked, boredom in his voice.

"It's the summer," Leon replied, "There's nothing else good on daytime television."

Sonic and Tails were seated within the den, watching a rerun of a popular children's cartoon called Billy Hatcher with Leon, Ray, Mighty, and Chris.

"I-It's not that b-bad," Ray said, "it's kinda c-cute."

"Yeah, this show's not that bad once you get past all the bad egg puns," Tails commented with a grin.

"If you want you can ask Molly to borrow Phantasy Star Universe. She has the entire season if you'd rather watch that," Leon suggested.

The program was suddenly pre-empted by a breaking news story as a mustachioed man with dark hair appeared on the television screen.

"This is Donny Vermillion with breaking a news story. Dr. Eggman has breached Mount Murasia and has begun a siege of Diamond Hills."

They watched as the scene suddenly shifted to one of Downtown Diamond Hills where local law enforcement and the National Guard were battling against one of a large mechanized war machine. The demented doctor was seated within the cockpit, his Egg Mobile serving as the vehicle's control center.

"I'll prep the X-Tornado for launch," Tails said as he hopped off the couch and raced for the entryway.

"Wait for me," Chris called out, trailing behind.

"Well...can't say that Eggman never took the direct approach," Sonic commented.

"Regardless you'd better get over there and do your thing," Mighty suggested.

"Right. Let Sal know what's going on and wish me luck," Sonic said as he raced out of the compound.

Skidding to a stop in the driveway, Sonic launched himself into the air and landed atop the aircraft.

"Hurry Tails," the hedgehog said, "There isn't much time."

"Roger," replied the fox as he gunned the engines and took to the air.

Diamond Hills lay in a north-westerly direction, requiring them to cover a lot of ground to reach the city, which was made more troublesome with the X-Tornado lacking a Chaos Emerald.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Siege of Diamond Hills

Location: Diamond Hills

Sometime later...

* * *

Diamond Hills was a large metropolis that encompassed the entire peninsula-province and served as the capital of High End fashion for the Terran Republic. Situated on the shores of Glacier Bay it was the only settlement in the entire of the province of the same name and was now under siege by the forces of the Eggman Empire. Plumes of dark smoke rose from the buildings as the Egg Mech moved through the congested streets unchecked, leaving carnage in its wake as it made its way up towards the Länsi Coastline as Major Esmerelda Ndoci raced passed screaming civilians towards a Squad cruiser that was parked further up the street. She was a young woman with olive coloured skin, dark hair that was cut close to her scalp and dressed in camo pants, a white T-shirt, and black boots that pounded the pavement as she ran. Once...long ago she had been married to Gregory Duke of the Old Families but he had died of a brain aneurysm only a year later, her former family members had blamed her for his death and had ultimately been what motivated her to join the Annihilators; a Private Military Company that cared only about who was signing their checks and she had to admit...killing was more satisfying. She spotted her Squad cruiser; a single occupant vehicle that was based on the military's flame throwing buggy known as the Hellion and ran to it. The mercenary quickly jumped onto the hood and popped open one of the exterior storage compartments and removed an AGR-14 Assault Rifle from inside along with several chips of ammunition before turning around and running back towards the battle.

"All I wanted was a coffee," he hissed through her teeth as she took cover behind an overturned car.

From her position she could see the egg-shaped dictator seated in the cockpit with a smug look on his fat face, while cars were being tossed about like toys during a child's temper tantrum as he deployed mines that exploded upon contact with the ground. Esmerelda gripped her rifle tightly and steadied it against the overturned car before

unloading an entire clip, the bullets ricocheting harmlessly off its heavy armour. Dr. Eggman didn't seem to notice that he was under attack and just continued on his reign of terror forcing Esmerelda to take cover from flying pieces of asphalt as the mechanized engine of destruction stomped past. The Solider-for-Hire loaded another clip into her weapon and was ready to make another attempt at attacking it when a series of explosions impacted against its armour but leaving only scour marks in its wake. She looked up to see a small blue plane fly past and begin circling around to make another attack. The Egg Mech launched missiles from its back-mounted pods, causing the aircraft to veer out of the way. A blue object leapt from the vessel and hurled towards the ground, slamming into the machine. The object ricocheted off of it and uncurled into the form of a cobalt blue hedgehog and landed soundlessly on the ground as the Egg Mech continued up the street.

"Well...that a little disappointing, he totally ignored me," Sonic said as he turned to greet Esmerelda only to get a rifle butt to the face, knocking him to the ground, "AH! What the hell, you crazy bitch."

"Leave! I don't require your help," Esmerelda said as she rushed past.

"Yeah right because things are working out so well for you guys right now," Sonic said clutching his face.

"And you can do better?" Esmerelda questioned.

"Pfft. I've been fighting Ro-butt-nik since I was ten," Sonic replied as he climbed to his feet.

"Well if you feel so confident by all means," she said as she whirled around fired into the air hitting an Egg Flyer and sent it plummeting to the ground.

"Nice shot," the hedgehog commented, "What's up that way any ways?"

"City Hall," Esmerelda shouted.

"Oh great, like this day couldn't get any worse," Sonic commented.

"WOULD YOU GO ALREADY!" Esmerelda shouted.

"Alright, alright I'm going, I'm going," the hedgehog replied as he took off like a whirlwind up the street.

The hilly, narrow streets that made up Diamond Hills made it difficult for Sonic to gain enough speed and having to weave between overturned cars and trucks made it all the harder to close the gap that was between him and the Egg Mech. There was an explosion up ahead and Sonic watched in horror as a burning cable car came tumbling down the street and forcing him to throw himself onto the sidewalk. The hedgehog could feel the heat of the burning wreckage as it slid past, sweeping cars down the street in its wake, but also clearing path that Sonic used to his advantage. As Tails circled about in the X-Tornado, he watched as the Egg Mech had stopped out in front of a elegant looking building that he assumed was City Hall where a series of what appeared to be hovertanks with mounted rail-guns waiting for him along with a combat walker that reminded him of G.U.N.'s Military Mechs. He was ready to go in for another attack run when the Terran Military Units launched an offensive strike on the Egg Walker as it became immolated by the numerous explosions. The Egg Mech slowly lifted up one massive foot and slammed it on to the ground causing a shockwave that sent several of the hovertanks flying, while the combat walker and the remaining hovertanks stood their ground and continued with the attack. The Egg Mech launched a series of missiles that forced the occupants to abandoned them as they were reduced to melted slag and the mechanized weapon began and turned to target City Hall. Sonic blazed past the Egg Mech causing the entire machine to suddenly crash to the ground and allowing Sonic to stare at Eggman in the eyes through the cockpit.

"Hiya," Sonic said smugly.

"Nice scarf, loser," Eggman snarled, "Here to foil my plans are we?"

"You know it," he replied, crossing his arms.

"I'll show you," Eggman declared as the vehicle rose up into a standing position.

Immediately fiddling with the Egg Mobile's control console caused music to suddenly begin pumping loudly out of a hidden speaker. Esmerelda recognized the song as "Give It Up" by KC & The Sunshine Band, which could hardly be considered appropriate music for a battle.

"This isn't my battle music," the wannabe world conqueror stated, "If this is another one of Bokkun's attempts at being funny, I swear he'll be scrubbing the sewers in New Megaopolis for the next month. Meh, whatever."

The doctor immediately and took a swing at the hedgehog, forcing Sonic to throw himself out of the way just to avoid the blow.

"Gotta get him away from here," Sonic said to himself as he ran right underneath the Egg Mech, "You're too slow."

Suddenly the Egg Mech lifted up one of its legs and slammed it down onto the ground, sending out a shockwave that knocked the hedgehog off his feet.

"Me and my big mouth," Sonic grumbled, pushing himself off the ground.

The Egg Mech swung its arm and battered the hedgehog into the side of a car, leaving him momentarily dazed. Eggman's mech loomed threateningly over him, poised to deliver a finishing blow until the X-Tornado preformed another strife attack on the mechanized monstrosity. It did little to damage it, though Tails was successful in drawing Eggman's attention away from Sonic.

"Wretched flying furball, I'll show you," Eggman snarled as he launched a payload of missiles at the aircraft.

The missiles screamed through the air, hot on the tail of the X-Tornado, though several of them simply fell harmlessly at the feet of the mech.

"Lousy refurbished missiles," the doctor cursed.

"Tails, we got missiles on our tail," Chris stated.

"No duh," the fox grumbled.

Deployment the aircraft's payload of flares helped to rid them of the pursuing missiles, though three remained and no amount of skillful maneuvering was shaking them off.

"Tails!" Chris cried out, watching the missiles inch ever closer to the aircraft.

The two-tailed fox pushed the X-Tornado into a repeated barrel roll that forced the missiles to follow. He successfully tricked the missiles into colliding with one another, but the force of the detonation caused the X-Tornado to thrown into a tailspin.

"Tails! Chris!" Sonic cried out, watching as the aircraft went into a freefall.

Eggman launched another payload of missiles this time directed at the hedgehog, though many failed to get a meter away from the mech.

"I gotta lure Eggman away from all these innocent people," Sonic said, racing up the street.

He cast a glance over his shoulder and was quick to discover that Eggman's mech was in hot pursuit, tearing its way through the city. The Egg Mech caught up to him in mere moments and swung a fist that sent him colliding with a wall.

"You disappoint me, Sonic," Eggman gloated, "I expected more from-."

The back of the Egg Mech suddenly exploded, causing Eggman to stumble forward in surprise.

"Alright, whose got the balls?" he demanded as he turned to face the attacker

 _"Eh... What's_ _up, doc_ _?,"_ Shard mocked.

"If it isn't my rogue creation," Dr. Eggman stated, "I haven't seen you since that debacle on Angel Island."

 _"Let's not kid ourselves, you and I both know that's not true."_

"True. I watched you slag yourself at Mt. Mobius to save the rodent and his friend."

 _"I developed a consciences as well as conciseness,"_ he stated, _"I have you to thank for that."_

"Then feel free to share the hedgehog's fate," Eggman declared, firing a salvo of missiles.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Misdirection

Location: Diamond Hills

Afternoon...

* * *

Shard dodged to the left, allowing the missiles to hurtle past as he tore off up the street, drawing Eggman out into the open. The cramped streets of the city, while useful, was putting too many lives at risk, and he couldn't allow that to happen. Sonic watched as the robotic hedgehog blazed a path down the street, Eggman in hot pursuit. He tried to heave himself off the ground, but his battered body screamed in pain the moment he made the attempt. A metal hand wrapped itself around his arm and he glance up to find Bunnie standing beside him.

"Ah got ya, sugar-hog," she stated.

"Bunnie? What're you doing here?" he asked.

"Sally-girl sent me to back y'all up," the cyborg rabbit explained.

Sonic nodded his head when he suddenly remembered that he had watched the X-Tornado go into a tailspin.

"Did you see what happened to the X-Tornado?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"Ah saw it down by the bay," she replied, "Tails was able to land safely."

"What a relief," he said, pulling himself to his feet, "We'd better go deal with Eggman."

"You sho you can handle it?" Bunnie asked, concern in her eyes.

"C'mon Bunnie, I can handle anything," Sonic replied, his ego bubbling to the surface.

"Alright, sugar-hog. Which way?" she questioned.

"this way," he said.

The hedgehog and rabbit took off up the street, following the trail of destruction that led then all the way to a baseball diamond. Shard was doing his best to distract Eggman long enough for the National Guard to arrive, however the fight was clearly taking its toll on the rogue Metal Sonic. Sonic slammed full speed into Eggman's mech, sending it tumbling backwards from the force of the impact.

"Nice of you to join me," Shard said, as Sonic landed next to him.

"Well...couldn't let you have all the fun," he stated, sarcasm in his voice.

"Uh...boys," Bunnie said as the Egg Mech suddenly rose to its feet.

"Seriously! You rodents keep coming out of the woodwork," Eggman snarled.

The doctor fired another salvo of missiles, prompting the trio to flee in different directions in order to avoid them. Several of them ended up being duds, a plan slowly formulating in Shard's mind as he eyed one of them. He fired a beam of green energy and ensnared the closest missile, swinging it over his head as if it were a lasso. Sonic watched at what was going on and immediately understood the plan, latching onto one with his Enerbeam. Flinging it in the direction of Eggman's mech, it detonated on impact, sending it stumbling backwards.

"STOP THAT!" the doctor screamed.

Double teamed by Sonic and Shard, it didn't take long for the mechanized war machine to suddenly become unresponsive, despite Eggman's best attempts. The two hedgehogs quickly capitalized and latched onto the machine with their Enerbeams, straining to pull it down. Seeing what they intended to do, Bunnie grabbed hold of the front of the mech with her telescopic arm and added her strength to their own. With their combined strength, the trio pulled down Eggman's mech, sending it crashing to the ground with a thud. The three quickly attacked the cockpit, with Shard and Bunnie attack it with their respective arm cannons, while Sonic launched at it with a spin attack. He had designed the Egg Mech to go toe-to-toe with GUNs inferior mechanized walkers, but when it came to Sonic, he always managed to find a flaw in his robotic designs. With smoke billowing from it, Eggman managed to get the walker upright once more and swung its left in an attempt to drive them back. Firing off another salvo of missiles only resulted in them being plucked out of the air and hurled back at him. The Egg Mech lurched forward and slammed into the ground with a thud. Thick black smoke poured into the cockpit, obscuring the view of the doctor from the others. A fire suddenly erupted from the main body of the Eggman, forcing the trio to cautiously move backwards. The Egg Mech exploded several seconds later, throwing burning debris in all directions of the outfield. Sonic, Shard, and Bunnie were caught in the path of the blast, with only the cyborg rabbit's forcefield generator to protect them. The Egg Mobile was thrown from the wreckage and flew out of control past Sonic, crashing into the stands behind. The hedgehog turned his green eyes skyward, finding that the X-Tornado was once more airborne and circling the baseball field.

"Everyone all right?" Bunnie asked.

"Little low on energy, but still in good shape," Shard stated.

"I'm good," Sonic said, approaching the Egg Mobile's impact site.

The cyborg and robot followed in a relatively short distance behind, as Sonic peered into the Egg Mobile, finding an unconscious Eggman inside.

"Yo, Eggman! Wakie wakie," Sonic said as he rapped on the glass canopy.

The trio watched as the Egg-shaped dictator's face suddenly fell off revealing wires and circuits underneath along with a blank screen that comprise most of what had been the face.

"Eggman played us," Sonic hissed through his teeth.

"While we were concerned with him attacking the city, he's hidden the Egg Carrier somewhere in Augustgrad," Shard commented.

Suddenly the screen lit up, displaying the number five on its surface in red LED lights followed by the number four, then three...

"Oh crap," Sonic said as he lunged at Shard and Bunnie, grabbing a hold of them and drawing on the Chaos Force, "CHAOS CONTROL!"

The Egg Mobile exploded with fire igniting the surrounding building creating an inferno that consumed everything.

"SONIC!" Chris cried out, watching helplessly as the fire and rescue services raced to the scene.

Mere seconds passed before Sonic, Shard, and Bunnie reappeared at the epicentre of the explosion. Sonic was completely exhausted as he collapsed to the ground after trying to teleport away from the explosion, but due to his infrequent use of the ability. He preferred relying on his own natural abilities, as such he had only been successful in throwing themselves six seconds into the future.

"Are you okay, Sugar-hog?" Bunnie asked, concerned with the hedgehog's wellbeing.

"Y-yeah," Sonic replied as Shard helped the struggling hedgehog to his feet, "forgot how taxing using Chaos Control was on my body that's all."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13: Voyage

Location: Prime Minister's Residence

Two days later...

* * *

Sally sat in front of her vanity dressed in a blue nightgown with NICOLE laying open on the counter in front of her as she he busied herself with brushing her hair. Not a peep had been heard of Eggman after his attack on Diamond Hills, the entire incident little more then a ruse to distract everyone while he went into hiding. MPs from all over the Terran Republic were still gathering in Central City for the emergency session of the National Assembly, but it was taking longer then expected. The National Assembly wasn't set to reconvene until next week, days later then what had been expected. The uncertainty of what to expect when she spoke before the National Assembly was taking an emotional toll on her, especially when Humanity First had no intention of hearing her out.

"Sally?" NICOLE asked as he holographic form appeared before her.

"Yes NICOLE?"

"Don't let it bother you," she replied, "I'm sure everything will work out in the end."

"Nothing's bothering me," Sally replied defensively.

"Sally, I know you well enough to know when something is bother you," NICOLE said, causing the Princess to sigh.

"You're right," Sally admitted, "I knew that getting the Terrans to ally with us wasn't going to be a cakewalk, I just never thought I'd face so much resistance."

"Well it's as you said before; even if we don't get the Terrans to ally, we'll have still managed to open diplomatic relations with them." NICOLE stated.

"I haven't even spoken before the National Assembly and already I'm facing stiff opposition, if the news is anything to go by," she said.

"The media has a tendency to exaggerate things," NICOLE commented, "Wait...incoming message."

"Whose it from?" Sally asked.

"I can't triangulate the signal, it being bounced through a dozen different relays," NICOLE stated, "I'll display the message now."

YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUIRE ON MADUBIN ISLAND AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE.

BRING ALONG OTHERS TO THE COORDINATES PROVIDED IF YOU MUST.

"Where is Madubin Island located?" Sally asked.

"The coordinates lead to a small island in the Tyrador Province," NICOLE answered, "So what's the plan then?"

"I'll worry about it tomorrow," Sally replied with a yawn as she stood up, "I've been up for far too long anyways."

"Goodnight, Sally," NICOLE said.

"Goodnight, NICOLE."

* * *

Location: Prime Minister's Residence

Late the next morning...

* * *

"Blast! I never meant to sleep till nearly twelve," Sally said as she emerged from her room, "and why didn't you wake me, NICOLE!?"

"You were up till three in the morning," she reminded, "You were in need of the rest."

"Well there's no point in worrying about it now," she sighed, making her way to the staircase, "I need to find the others and figure out who'll come with me to Madubin Island."

As soon as she reached the ground floor of the estate, she found Timothy; one of the servants busy watering some of the indoor plants.

"Ah, good morning, Princess," he said cheerfully.

"Good morning. Do you know where everyone is?" Sally asked.

"The Prime Minister in his office meeting with the Minister of Natural Resources, several of your friends headed into town, but Mr. Prower and Mrs. D'Coolette, Miss. Badger, and Mr. Thorndyke are currently still on the premises," Timothy replied.

"Do you know where I can find them?"

"Mr. Prower is currently in the archives and Mrs. D'Coolette is currently by the pool with Miss. Molly," Timothy explained, "Miss. Badger is..."

"Say no more," Sally said, raising her hand.

"Mr. Thorndyke was feeling unwell earlier and is somewhere on the premises."

"Thanks you for the information," Sally said.

"My pleasure," Timothy replied.

Sally emerged from the Prime Minister's home and found Bunnie and Molly sitting by the in ground pool. Dripping wet, Leon ran about along the circumference of the pool, pursued by another boy with dark haired. The pool had been apparently been a spur of the moment thing for the two boys, as neither had on bathing suits, having instead stripped themselves down to their briefs.

"Mornin', Sally-girl," Bunnie greeted.

"You're up late today," Molly said.

"NICOLE said I needed the rest," she replied.

"No point at burning the candles at both ends," Molly stated.

"Who's the kid?"

"Oh that's Colin Phash; the son of my father's Minister of Natural Resources," Molly explained.

"So, what are your plans for the day Sally-girl?" Bunnie asked.

"Actually that why I'm here, last night NICOLE received a message from our benefactor, he wants to formally meet but I'm only allowed to two of you with me," Sally said to Bunnie.

"And with Sugah-hog and the others out on the town me, Tails, Chris, and Sticks are your only choices," Bunnie said.

"I was going to discuss it with all of you then decide who should come but yeah that's pretty much the gist of it," Sally replied.

"Sho," the cyborg rabbit said as she stood up, "Ah been wantin' ta see the sites outside this city."

"Great," Sally replied, "Let's go find Tails."

"I'll let the others know where you've headed off to," Molly offered.

"That'd be great, thank you."

Several minutes later Sally and Bunnie arrived at a large room that contained rows upon rows of shelves that contained a large several hard cover books but the selection was small compared to the vast quantity of electronic Digi-tomes and filmbooks that were present. Several of the books were even locked up due to their delicate state but everything was available for viewing in digital format.

"Wow! The Grand Archive back home ain't got this many books," Bunnie said.

"Carmichael said that the early Terrans uncovered a vault the contained a large collection of human knowledge, so not only do they have all of their own history, but humanity's collective history as well," Sally explained.

As the two Mobians continued through the library they found Tails seated at a table reading, a stack of books piled atop it. The fox was currently reading one of the Digi-tomes, not even bothering to look up when they approached.

"Morning Sally, morning Bunnie," Tails said.

"Mornin', whacha readin'?" Bunnie asked.

"A fantasy called King Arthur. It's really interesting," Tails said.

"Are you even going to be able to read all of these?" Sally questioned.

"I donno, but I can try," he stated.

Bunnie happened to grab one of the books from the pile out of curiosity, taking a moment to study the name on the cover; the Kama Sutra.

"Uh...Tails, this isn't a book for kids," Bunnie stated, showing him the book in question

"It's not?"

"Sugar-Twan and ah saw a book like this in a book store we visited, it's a sex manual," she informed.

"Ew! What's it even doing here?" the fox asked.

"That'll be something we should bring to the attention of one of the servants," Sally stated.

"Was there something you needed?"

"We need the X-Tornado," Sally said, remembering the reason they had sought out the fox, "I received a message from our benefactor and he wants to meet."

"Alright, Sally, I'll go get the X-Tornado ready," the fox said.

"We'll go find Chris and Sticks and meet you outside."

"Why Sticks?" Tails questioned.

"A little time away from here will do her some good," Sally replied, "Might just keep her from chewing the electrical wires."

"Alright, I'll meet you outside," Tails said, standing.

* * *

Location: Tyrador Province

Two and a half hours later...

* * *

Augustgrad's artificial sun reflected off the waters as the X-Tornado soared over several small jungle covered islands that made up the Province of Tyrador; one of the most popular vacation destination for the citizens of Augustgrad. As he sat within the passenger pod with Sticks, Chris could help but be in awe at the diverse landscapes that they passed. He took a passing glance out the right side window, watching as Bunnie kept pace with the X-Tornado. With Tails behind the controls, they would reach their destination within the next couple of minutes. Everything was going well that was until thick, black smoke suddenly began spewing out of the engine housing of the aircraft.

"NOT GOOD!" Tails coughed, as the aircraft's attitude suddenly dropped violently.

"TAILS! Do something before we crash," Sally yelled covering her face with one hand.

Bunnie quickly accelerated forward and caught up to the X-Tornado and grabbed a hold of the vessel's nose cone, pulling with all her might in a desperate attempt to slow its fall. The aircraft just continued to pick up speed, and the jungle was quickly approaching the terrified passengers. The cyborg rabbit continued to pull as hard as she could, causing the entire vessel to shift, but in time to prevent it from crashing into the waterlogged ground. Bunnie was thrown from her position during the crash, her colliding body throwing water into the air. She came to a rest near the base of a massive tree, remaining conscious long enough to make out several humanoids moving through the underbrush.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Noble Savages

Location: Madubin Island

Fifteen minutes earlier...

* * *

Amongst the jungle that stretched across the majority of Madubin Island, an amethyst-skinned humanoid moved through the underbrush, following an unseen path. Naked, he had covered his entire body in a mixture of animal fat and ash meant to keep him warm on his journey. His thickly muscled tail bobbed about as he walked, while the intricate sounds of the jungle were picked up by his pointed ears. Unkempt black hair covered the boy's head, while a pair of small horns protruded just beneath his hairline. Cutting his way through the thick underbrush, the boy headed in the direction of the river, reaching the riverbank several minutes later. Resting a clawed hand against the trunk of a tree, he took his time to survey his immediate surroundings. The flow of the river had eroded away the sediment over a period of years, deepening it and transforming it into a ravine. The lack of a decent rainfall had also had an impact, caused the river to nearly dry up, leaving several shallow pools. There was aquatic wildlife trapped within those pools, easy prey for him had his attention not been focused elsewhere. He gingerly made his way down to the riverbed and began trekking through the mud, eventually reaching a small cave. Seated on a boulder located just outside the entrance was Mother Sruthanna; an experienced shaman of the Dovahkiir. Shamans were highly respected individuals within their society, and many dreamt that they had what it took to be one. Though decades older then his own father, Mother Sruthanna remained in her physical prime, as was the case with their species. She was clothed in a cotton string worn around her waist; the article of clothing that the Dovahkiir were known for wearing. It had dyed a shade of blue to signify her affiliation with the Lingrahmos Clan, the same clan that he belonged to. The boy maintained his silence, waiting for Mother Sruthanna to show a passing acknowledgement of his presence. As the wind rustled the leaves of the surrounding trees, his mind steadily began to wander from sheer boredom.

"Hello, Carraig; Son of Ghrian," she greeted, opening her blue eyes, "Today is the day of the Breithiúnas."

He felt himself trembling uncontrollably, not because he was naked or cold, but from the excitement and uncertainty that he felt.

"You've nothing to worry about," Sruthanna stated, picking up on his mood.

"W-what will happen?" he asked, stuttering unintentionally.

"We shall descend into the cavern beneath us and pay tribute to the Elemental Spirits, it is there that we'll see what destiny awaits you."

"How will they react?" he questioned, growing increasingly worried, "Will they hurt me?"

"The Elemental Spirits are many things, but malevolent is not one of them," Mother Sruthanna said, rising to her feet, "Let's not keep them any longer."

Carraig swallowed hard and attempted to move forward, instead he found that he was rooted where he stood.

"Whenever you are ready, Carraig," she said calmly.

Eventually the boy was successful in willing himself forward, stepping shakily through the entrance and descended into the bowels of the earth. A wind was blowing out from the interior of the cavern, and was cold enough to cause his skin to breakout in gooseflesh. The only source of light was what came spilling through the entrance, and Carraig half-expected to be assailed by some terrible creature. He felt slightly more at ease knowing that Mother Sruthanna was right behind him, but that didn't prevent him gazing at the shadows with suspicion. The tunnel was becoming darker the further they moved away from the entrance, while the stench of wet earth continued to hang in the air. Eventually the tunnel opened into a small chamber were a small lake was spread out before him.

"We must cleanse you before I can present you for judgement," Mother Sruthanna stated, gesturing to the lake before them.

Carraig nodded his head and removed the sheathed knife that hung loosely from a leather cord around his neck, handing it over to her. It served as his only form of protection during his trek through the jungle, and its absence left him noticeably less secure. Wading out into the water, Carraig could feel an uncomfortable chill beginning to permeate his body. Mother Sruthanna followed behind, and began washing his youthful form, scrubbing away the dirt and grime with a block of animal fat and a cloth. He didn't question where she had produced them from, he simply wished to proceed with the Breithiúnas. Carraig grew more relaxed as more time that passed, maybe a little too relaxed. The boy happened to glance down at the water and let out a gasp when he discovered he was at full mast. He quickly covered his unwanted boner with his hands, hoping that it had gone unnoticed by Mother Sruthanna.

"It's not something you should be ashamed of, Carraig. It is something all boys experience," she stated, much to his embarrassment.

Her words did little to make him feel any better, if anything he would've preferred it if she had said nothing at all. It was fortunate that Mother Sruthanna left him to wash his own genitals, as it would have made an already uncomfortable situation even more awkward. Completely cleansed, Carraig waded his way back to the shore and waited for Mother Sruthanna catch up.

"It is now time to present yourself to the Elemental Spirits, Carraig of the Dovahkiir."

The shaman led him onward, leading him to another chamber with a smaller pool of water directly in the center. Roots were protruding from the low-hanging ceiling, but Mother Sruthanna was short enough that they barely touched her hair. She led the way the cavern's inner chamber and gestured for Carraig to take a seat at the water's edge. He took a seat on the hard-packed earth, crossing his legs, and waited patiently for Mother Sruthanna to begin the testing.

"Since arriving on this world, we shaman found ourselves drawn to his cavern," she stated, "The world of our birth maybe lost to us, but the Elemental Spirits still call to us. When a child like yourself enters into their seventh year, we bring them here to receive judgement."

"What am I to do?" he asked, eager to begin.

"Stare into the water before you," she said, "and their answer shall be made clear."

Carraig did as was instructed and gazed into the depths of the underground lake, waiting for any kind of sign. Mother Sruthanna took seat next to the boy and watched as the cavern suddenly became host to the Elemental Spirits. Four spirits governed the elements; Gnome, who governed the realm of Earth, Jinn who governed the realm of Wind, Salamander who governed the realm of Fire, and Undine who governed the realm of Water.

 _"He leaves me dry and parched."_

 _"He makes me fall still."_

 _"He grinds me beneath his feet."_

 _"He robs me of my fuel."_

Mother Sruthanna glanced over to Carraig, finding the boy still stared at the water, neither hearing the Elemental Spirits, nor seeing them. Sorrow filled her heart, but despite that, she knew there was nothing that she could do for him. The Elemental Spirits had made their decree; he lacked the spiritual awareness that was present in all shamans.

"It is time to go, Son of Ghrian," she stated, rising to her feet.

"B-but...nothing happened."

"Something did happen, you're inability to see or hear the spirits is proof enough of that."

"You mean...I can't be a Shaman?"

"Your path lays elsewhere, you will merely need to discover where it will take you," Mother Sruthanna stated.

"But I wanted to be a Shaman," Carraig said, disappointment in his voice.

"If everyone had the ability to be a Shaman, there'd be many of us instead of a few."

He couldn't argue with her, if Shamans were a dime a dozen then they wouldn't be as widely respected as they were. Resigning himself to the fact that he would never be a Shaman, Carraig rose to his feet and followed Mother Sruthanna out of the cavern. He couldn't help but feel relief at being back outside, the forest being significantly warmer then the cavern. He could feel his shivering body beginning to settle down, but nearly leapt out of his skin when their came a deafening crash.

"What was that!?" he cried out.

"Quickly! This way," Mother Sruthanna ordered, wasted no time in venturing from the cavern.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Outsiders

Location: Madubin Island

Ten minutes later...

* * *

By the time Carraig and Mother Sruthanna had reached the site of the crash, they discovered the intact wreckage of an aircraft. They weren't the first to arrive on the scene, rather it had been a group of hunters who just happened to be in the area. The hunters had decorated their violet-hued bodies in black paint, a custom meant to ward off the fearsome predators of their homeworld.

"Lady Sruthanna, what brings you here?" greeted one of the hunters respectfully.

"Young Carraig has just finished his undertaking of the Breithiúnas when we heard the disturbance," she answered, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Ah, does this mean we are in the presence of a future shaman?" he asked, eyeing the boy.

"I'm afraid not," she replied.

"A pity then."

"What is the situation?"

"This creature is nothing I've ever seen before," the hunter stated, gesturing to the downed aircraft, "It appears to be some sort of metal bird, and its eaten some people."

Carraig stifled a giggle, knowing that he shouldn't be surprised by the overall ignorance of the hunters. Dovahkiir society was very much tribal, and few could wrap their minds on concepts such as technology.

"That's a plane," Carraig finally corrected.

"A what?"

"A plane. People use it to travel from place to place."

"But how does such a thing fly without feathered wings?" one of the other hunters questioned.

"You should probably take his word for it," Mother Sruthanna suggested, "And we should probably consider getting those people out, they could be injured."

While several of the hunters approached the downed aircraft, Carraig caught sight of a young girl who had been obscured by the other hunters. She looked to be eight years of age, with flowing black hair, her body was adorn with maroon paint in conjunction with the colored band that all children wore. Gold bands covered were worn around her wrists, ankles, and the base of her tail, signifying that she was someone of great importance. It took him a moment to realize that the young girl was Eala; the daughter of Kodaav's chieftain. Many young boys would've found her beautiful, himself included, but there was a high possibility that she was already promised to someone. Even if she wasn't, there was little chance she would seek the companionship with a boy had done nothing to prove himself. Growing uncomfortable, Carraig turned to face another direction and found something laying at the base of a massive tree. Forgetting about what else was going on, the boy raced forward, discovering an anthropomorphic rabbit lying unconscious, her legs and her left arm were covered in metal. With that section of the jungle waterlogged, it was a miracle that she hadn't drowned in the ankle deep water. Mother Sruthanna, having noticed Carraig's sudden absence had followed after the boy, reaching his location a short time later.

"She's alive," the boy stated, "...I think."

The elderly shaman checked for herself and that the boy had indeed telling the truth, though she was clearly in bad shape.

"The breath of life is fading from her body," Mother Sruthanna stated.

"Can you save her?" Carraig asked.

"There is little time to waste," she replied, reaching for one of the talisman from around his necklace, "Spirit of Water, I call upon you. Let you life-giving waters heal these wounds."

Placing her other hand atop the Mobian's chest, Mother Sruthanna began channeling the powers of water. Despite the Elder Shaman's best efforts, she could feel the young Mobian's life continue to ebb away. She felt hands placed atop her own and looked up to discover a platinum haired Dovahkiir standing before her. He was clad in a belt of woven cloth fibers, with tasseled end that hung low enough to cover his genitals.

"Papa!" Carraig cried out in suprise.

"Ghrian," she said, recognizing the man.

Having been blind for the first eight years of his life, she had always suspected that Ghrian was destined for something great, and had in no way been disappointed when he returned to their society following five years of training. He brought with him a new way of thinking; the Sainordú Glas, a philosophy that teaches one to draw strength from the natural elements of the world. With nature at his command, he had ended the centuries of bloodshed between the Dovahkiir clans and united them for the first time since Queen Sruthanna; the woman that she had been named in honour of. Druidism had spread amongst the ranks of the Dovahkiir, becoming as widely respected as Shamanism. Drawing strength from the surrounding wilderness, Ghrian used it to bolster Mother Sruthanna's own attempts to heal the dying Mobian. The shaman could feel the strengthening of young rabbit's life force, and within a heartbeat had regained consciousness.

"Oh mah stars," Bunnie gasped, glancing around as the strangers who surrounded her.

"You are amongst friends, you need not worry yourself," Mother Sruthanna stated.

Bunnie began to relax, but upon looking past the gathered Dovahkiir, she discovered the wreckage of the X-Tornado.

"They can't get them out," Carraig finally stated, having watched them unsuccessfully try to break open the canopy.

"There's a panel with the emergency release at the side of the cockpit," Bunnie said.

Carraig nodded his head and took off running, leaping atop the downed aircraft and locating the emergency release.

"Take them back to the village," Ghrian ordered, "More can be done for them there."

"Yes, Archdruid," the hunter said, causing Ghrian to cringe.

The other hunters carefully extracted the unconscious survivors from the wreckage, and proceeded to carry them off in the direction of Adlewyrchu's Refuge.

"Can you move?" Ghrian asked.

She tried to rise, but her cybernetic legs had been rendered non-responsive, likely the result of her trying to avert the crash.

"Ah can't move mah legs," she admitted.

"But, that should've healed your injuries," Mother Sruthanna stated.

"Mah limbs had to be replaced with cybernetics after an accident," Bunnie explained, "Ah'll need repairs."

Ghrian reached down and scooped up Bunnie in his arms, intent on carrying her all the way to the village with Mother Sruthanna and Carraig following behind.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Safe Haven

Location: Adlewyrchu's Rest

Three hours later...

* * *

Sally was vaguely aware that she was not where she should've been, instead she felt comfortable. Crawling her way back from unconsciousness, she opened her eyes and pushed herself into a seated position. She glanced around the her immediate surroundings, finding that she had been sleeping in a structure of wood and thatch. Letting the animal hide to fall from her body, Sally sat up and took a moment to give the room a chance to stop spinning.

"Sally-girl?" the unmistakable voice of Bunnie asked.

She turned and found the cyborg seated on what resembled a cot, her inorganic arm hanging in a sling.

"What happened," she asked, her mouth dry as bone.

"The X-Tornado went down over the jungle," the rabbit explained, "Ah was able to adjust the fall enough to prevent a fatal crash, but mah cybernetics were damaged."

"How bad?"

"Ah nearly died, but let's keep that between you and me," Bunnie replied, "No point in needlessly worrying Sugar-Twan."

"Any idea where we are or what happened to the others?" she asked with concern.

"Tails and Chris were the first to regain consciousness and headed back to the X-Tornado's crash site to retrieve a toolkit. Ah won't be goin' anywhere until mah cybernetics are fixed," she explained, "As for where we are...well it's hard to say. We were brought to the village of a species that not native to Mobius. They were the ones who pulled y'all from the wreckage."

"What about Sticks?" Sally asked, dreading the answer.

Bunnie gestured to an adjacent cot where Sticks was resting peacefully, though her unconscious ramblings weirded them out.

"She had to be restrained and sedated," Bunnie eventually stated, "She was ranting that our alien-lizard-men rescuers were out to replace her with a doppelganger."

"Why am I not surprised?" Sally said with a sigh.

The flap that separated them from the outside was suddenly parted aside, allowing a figure to step inside. He was an amethyst-skinned humanoid, with a thickly muscled tail, and pointed ears, with small cranial protrusions that resembled horns. His platinum-coloured hair hung well past his shoulder, pulled backwards so that it cascaded down his back. His only attire consisted of a belt of woven cloth fibers, with tasseled end that hung low enough to cover his genitals.

"Princess Sally, I'm pleased to see that you've finally awakened," he said, bowing respectively to her.

"Should I really question how you're aware of my identity?" she asked.

Bunnie would've told them her name, but for security purposes would never have gone into great depths.

"Your names have been whispered by the spirits," he replied, "They have much to say, especially about a certain blue hedgehog."

"Uh...okay," she said, clearly confused.

"It is fortunate that those nearby came to you aid as quickly as they did," he stated, "It took the strength of myself and Mother Sruthanna just to keep your friend from joining the Great Spirit."

It wasn't the first time she had heard of the Great Spirit, it was a major deity worshipped amongst the Wolf Pack. It didn't seem too outlandish that there would be other species who believed in the same concept.

"You seem to know an awful lot about me, yet you've not even introduced yourself," she stated.

"My apologies, I am Ghrian; Archdruid of the Dovahkiir."

"What are the Dovahkiir?"

"We are a species that once hailed from a world called Suvulaan," Ghrain answered, his mood darkening, "It was an unforgiving world with predators deadlier then we were. It has become lost to us after being assailed by a race of aliens."

"I-I'm sorry to hear that," Sally apologized.

"It is of no fault of your own."

The flap was suddenly pulled open and Tails entered with Chris in tow, a dower expression on the young fox's face. He didn't utter a single word as he marched over to Bunnie's side, his toolkit tucked under his arm.

"That bad?" Sally asked Chris.

"The X-Tornado won't be flying any time soon," the human whispered, "and even if he could get it into X-Cyclone mode, I doubt it would be able to traverse the jungle."

Sally could understand Tails' foul mood, the X-Tornado was his pride and joy, and he didn't wish to see his 'baby' damaged in anyway.

"Is there any way to radio the others?" she asked.

"The transmitter in the X-Tornado was busted in the crash," Tails grumbled.

"And my cell's not getting any reception," Chris added.

Sally glanced over to the table next to her, finding NICOLE's handheld form resting atop its wooden surface.

"NICOLE, are you able to contact the others?" Sally asked, snatching up the device.

"No. For whatever reason something appears to be blocking all outgoing transmissions," the AI replied.

"Wonderful," Sally sighed, "We're stranded here."

"My nephew's estate on the eastern side of the island," Ghrain stated.

"Your...nephew? I don't recall ever meeting with any member of your people."

"Not in the biological sense," the druid corrected, "His father spent time amongst my people as a child."

"Well we were supposed to meet with someone here on the island," Sally admitted, "You wouldn't happen to know who might this person be?"

"If he felt the need to withhold that information, I won't go over his head," Ghrain stated.

"Ah don't suppose you could somehow help us reach our destination?" Bunnie questioned.

"We won't be going anywhere until Tails repairs your cybernetics and Sticks regains consciousness," Sally reminded, "What did you give Sticks anyways?"

"Something that she'll wakeup from in the next hour, but the sun will be setting soon," the druid warned, "I wouldn't recommend departing at this point in time, but if you are intent on reaching your destination, I'll be your guide."

"I appreciate all the help," the princess said, "You could've easily just left us at the crash site."

"The Great Spirit would be displeased," Ghrain said.

"Tails, do you think you can get Bunnie's cybernetics back in working order?" Sally asked.

"I can get them patched up, but I need Rotor's help and specialized tools needed to properly repair them," the fox answered.

"Which are back onboard the Freedom Fighter Special," Sally said with a sigh, "Patch them up as best you can, we're leaving as soon as Sticks regains consciousness."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Revelations

Location: Madubin Island

One hour later...

* * *

Able to wield the power of nature itself, druids were also known for their ability to shape-shift into various animal forms. Ghrain had assumed the form of a large wolf, and now moved through the jungle with the speed and grace afforded to him. Shrouded in near-darkness, it was only guidance of the druid that the group was able to traverse the jungle with any measure of success.

"We're almost there," the Druid stated, stopping momentarily to allow his companions a chance to catch up.

"That's a relief," Sally said, "The sooner we meet with our mysterious benefactor, the sooner we can get back to Central City."

The jungle terrain steepened significantly as the group reached a stone staircase that had been neglected for some time. Shape-shifting back into his true form, Ghrain led them up the crumbling steps, eventually stopping at a wrought iron gate with peeling black paint. Locked from the inside, it did little to impede the druid's path as he threaded his tail through the bars and popped the latch.

"This is where we must part ways," Ghrain stated, "It's a fairly straight-forward path up to the grounds of the estate."

"Thank you for your assistance," Sally said.

"It was a pleasure, princess."

Shape-shifting once more, this time into the form of a raven, Ghrain took to the air, heading back in the direction of the Dovahkiir Village. With the way open to them, the group carefully made their way up the staircase that rose out of the jungle. The group had made it halfway up the staircase when a voice suddenly spoke, accompanied by a pair of glowing emerald eyes penetrating the growing darkness.

 _"Good evening. You're later then was expected."_

"The X-Tornado crashed," Tails explained, realizing that it was Shard.

 _"That would make sense then,"_ he admitted.

The hedgehog-shaped robot unlocked the gate and stepped aside, permitting the group entry onto the main grounds of the estate. The first thing they encountered was an Olympic-sized swimming pool, the area around it large enough to have allowed the X-Tornado to land, with enough room to park the Freedom Fighter Special right next to it. There was a patio overlooking it, which was the destination that Shard directed them to. The group entered the massive estate was the Japanese inspired architecture that was prevalent throughout the entire interior of the building. Before them was a young human boy with a mop of spiky black hair, dressed in only a white fundoshi worn in the rokushaku-style. He hung from the back of a couch, his attention fixated on the television mounted against the walls, oblivious to their presence.

"Do you usually walk into people's houses without their permission?" a voice questioned.

The group found a monkey-tailed girl standing in the doorway to the dressed in a red t-shirt, black short and a red bandana that tied her neck-length black hair back.

"ALIEN!" Sticks screamed, jabbing a finger in the girl's directions.

"From where I'm standing, you're the ones who are aliens," she shot back.

Sticks let out a shriek at the revelation, though her companions did their best to drown the paranoid badger out.

"BE QUIET!" the girl shouted, silencing the badger.

"We were suppose to meet someone on this island," Sally explained, "Our aircraft went down over the jungle."

"Inari, go get him," she ordered.

They watched the younger boy nod his head and lowered himself to the floor, disappearing through an adjacent doorway. An awkward silence followed as the group waited for the boy to return, one that steadily grew more uncomfortable. The girl stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, her eyes never wondering for a single moment. She gave them the impression of intense mistrust, like that their presence was unwanted, though no one made mention of it.

"What a pleasant hostess you're proving to be, Korianda," a voice stated.

Their attention was immediately drawn to the adjacent doorway, finding that Inari had returned accompanied by an older boy. With a monkey tail, he had a thick mess of spiky black hair that stuck upwards, tilted slightly to the right side of his head. He wore a ill-fitting red top that left part of his chest expose and a pair of baggy dark blue pants, while black slippers covered his feet. The chipmunk caught movement from behind the older boy, and noticed a Dovahkiir child, barely three-years-old, hiding behind the boy. Clad in a white nightgown, the boy had a thick mane of snow-white hair that was definitely out of place with the rest of his species. Without warning, the boy lifted up his nightgown and grabbed the crouch of his diaper; a sure sign that he needed to relieve himself.

"Sally," he said, taking no notice, "I was expecting to see you earlier this afternoon," he said.

"The X-Tornado made an emergency landing in the jungle," Tails answered, twisting the truth slightly.

"I see. Shard."

 _"I'm on it,"_ the robotic hedgehog said, having been mostly silent for the entire conversation.

The Sonic-shaped robot disappeared out the patio doors, vanishing into the darkness that had descended upon the island.

"It is most fortunate that you arrived when you did," the boy stated, "I was getting ready to listen to my radio program, and nothing'll get me outta my den once I've pressed play."

"Inari, would you take Sly to the potty? It looks like he needs to go," Korianda asked.

"Sure," the boy replied, taking the youngster by the hand and leading him from the room.

"You know him?" Tails asked, glancing at Sally.

"My name is Tarro," he introduced, "I am a Saiyan from the Planet of Galanga; a Fiefdom within the Saiyan Empire."

"I remember. I encountered you during a mission to the Chemical Plant Zone," she explained for the benefit of the others, "I was cornered by Eggman's SWATbots, but he rescued me from a near fatal fall."

"Except that's not what happened," Tarro said, "It was during a mission to Robotropolis. You were captured by Robotnik's SWATbots and was being transported to the detention center when I intercepted the convoy and freed you."

"Then we have two vastly different ideas of what happened," Sally stated, casting a glance to her companions.

"I'm not surprised that you would think that," the boy stated, "But I've got proof that Eggman altered the very fabric of reality."

"I'm sorry?" Sally asked, believing she had misheard.

"Have you ever had a feeling that something just isn't quite right, but you can't figure out why?"

"Yes...," the princess replied, uncertain where this conversation was headed.

"I had one of those feelings," he admitted, making his way over to the couch, "In the event that I suffered a traumatic brain injury that left me with memory loss, in could restore them using those stored in a cloned copy of my brain. It's how I know that things aren't right."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Exposition

Location: Madubin Island

Evening...

* * *

"What exactly do you mean?" Sally questioned.

"To understand, you need to look at Mobius Prime; a parallel world where all versions of Mobius are born into existence."

As if to illustrate his point, Tarro tapped the coffee table in the center of the room, causing a holographic window to appear over its surface, one that projected various images, some recognizable, others not so much.

"Here's the short version - The Robotnik of Mobius Prime constructed a device known as the Cosmic Reset Button and sought to utilize it as a means of reshaping reality to his benefit."

"I'm guessing the Chaos Emeralds were used in some way to power this 'Cosmic Reset Button'?" Tails questioned, interrupting.

"Yes. With one Chaos Emerald, he was able to launch Operation: Clean Sweep as a means of countering Sonic. Unleashing the Genesis Wave allowed him to reshape reality to create a more simplistic version of Mobius. However, there are limits to what it is capable of doing, such as its inability to outright erase people from existence."

"That's a relief," Sally said, "But how was the world restored to the way it was, and how was our world affected."

"In this new 'Genesis World', Sonic was able to reverse the effects with Chaos Control, but Eggman's Chaos Emerald was catapulted into an alternate dimension; Earth in the year 20XX."

The images had shifted to display not only the events that had transpired within the Genesis World, but also depicted the events on Mobius Prime.

"Is that a robot you?" Sticks asked, suddenly glaring at Sally, "When did you become a robot!?"

"The Cosmic Reset Button wasn't the only trick Robotnik had up his sleeve, he also had a World Roboticizer onboard the Death Egg," he said, cutting off any potential conversations, "Also the Egg Dome is the Death Egg."

"Wait what?" Tails asked, thinking he misheard.

"The Egg Dome is actually the Death Egg," he repeated himself, "Eggman just hasn't had the opportunity to launch it."

"I suppose we should be thankful for that," Sally commented, "But why am I a robot?"

"Operation: Clean Sweep was not only meant to reshape reality, but to also to remove the immunity granted by the Bem after they deroboticized the Robian population. The World Roboticizer would've cemented the new reality, but Sonic was successful in reverting the world to its previous state."

"Lemme guess; Dr. Eggman's a sore loser?" Chris questioned.

"That's putting things mildly. Though he succeeded in removing the immunity from the Mobian population, he still intended to Roboticize the planet, wiping out not only his own forces, but those of the United Federation as well," the boy explained, focusing on Sally.

"Thousands could've perished," Tails stated.

"And thousands would've had Sally not inverted the beam at the cost of her own Roboticizion."

"I'm already not liking this," Sally muttered.

"It wasn't, but I think we should move on," Tarro suggested, "Ending up on Earth in the year 20XX, the Chaos Emerald was discovered by Dr. Wily; a villainous scientist from that dimension."

The images were replaced with that of a balding human with a bushy grey mustache and tuffs of gray hair that jutted out of the sides of his head, which gave the resemblance of bat wings.

"He came into contact with Eggman and the two conspired together. They created a pocket dimension to bridge their worlds together and built a battle station called the Wily Egg. They initiated a second Genesis Wave, this time causing both their worlds to become altered."

"No good can come from mucking around with the space-time continuum," Tails sighed.

"It gets worse. Combining the technology from both their worlds, Drs. Eggman and Wily were able to convert you, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, Rouge, the Chaotix, Blaze, and Silver into Roboticized Masters. Joining forces with Wily's nemesis; Mega Man, Sonic was able to revert you all back to your original forms, but Eggman and Wily had already gathered all the Chaos Emeralds. With all seven their Super Genesis Wave could've reshaped reality without limitations, but their plot was foiled at the last minute."

"I'm sensing there's a but coming," Sally stated.

"Though Mega Man was able to restore his world to its unaltered state through the use of Chaos Control, Sonic faced interference from Eggman, causing Mobius Prime to be restored to a near unrecognizable state. Because of the abuse that the fabric of reality was subjected to, the multiverse collapsed in on itself."

"He's not lying," NICOLE said, manifesting herself within the room, much to everyone's surprise.

"How are you doing that without a Power Ring?" Tails questioned.

"I've got plenty of holographic matrices scattered throughout my estate," Tarro answered, "Sorry, I should've mentioned that."

"I've been conducting a series of analysis in order to collaborate his statements," NICOLE explained, "I've detected a large amount of residual Chaos Energy, far larger then what occurs naturally. It appears that when reality collapsed in on itself, it was recreated on a molecular scale."

"The Super Genesis Wave did more then just that, the excess energy caused the surface of Mobius Prime to shatter due to the strain."

"You mean Mobius Prime was destroyed?" Chris asked.

"No," NICOLE stated, "Had Mobius Prime been destroyed, no new realities would come into existence."

"As we speak, the heroes of Mobius Prime are trying to piece together the planet. However, the destabilization done to the space-time continuum has caused a bleeding effect on our reality."

As if to illustrate that point, multiple images appeared within the air, all of which included Sonic in one form or another.

"Neither Chris nor Sticks were here in the unaffected reality," he explained, "Originally I delivered to you the Chaos Emeralds for safekeeping and notified you of the existence of the Terran Republic. My mind is too jumbled to remember exactly what transpired..."

"...Because he fried his brain," Korianda commented, having remained where she had been standing.

"...But Snively and the Dark Egg Legion successfully stole the emeralds prior to your return to the city, taking Cream as a hostage," he continued, ignoring her.

"That creep," Bunnie muttered.

"With the Chaos Emeralds and a device called the Energy Amplifier, Eggman intended on powering up his robots," he explained, "With the help of Tails, Amy, and Knuckles, Sonic was able to raid his base, though the device was damaged during the fight."

"I don't like where this is headed," Tails said.

"When attempting to active the device, Eggman inadvertently triggered Chaos Control and catapulted those in the immediate vicinity across time and space, to his reality," Tarro said, pointing to Chris, "During a fight for the Chaos Emeralds, another Chaos Control was generated, transporting those caught in its epicenter to Mobius...at the exact moment the multiverse was collapsing."

"That's why our Mobius wasn't destroyed when the rest of the multiverse collapsed," NICOLE said, "Sonic's use of Chaos Control sheltered us from the Super Genesis Wave's energy shadow."

"It might've prevented our destruction, but it caused a bleeding effect that altered our reality regardless. This Mobius has basically become a weird amalgamation of different elements from various alternate versions, though it still mirrors what Mobius Prime once resembled. Notable differences aside."

Tarro looked in the direction of the patio, finding that Shard was standing in the doorway, having slipped away during his long-winded rant. A nod of the Rogue Metal Sonic's head was all the confirmation he needed to speak once more.

"The X-Tornado's been now been recovered and moved to my Engineering Bay," he stated as he started walking away, "I'll give you access to all my tools. You're welcome to stay the night until the X-Tornado's been repaired."

"Yeah. We've still got stew leftover if our guests are interested," Korianda stated.

"Well...it's not like we can go anywhere else," Sally admitted.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Plan of Attack

Location: Eredas Estate

The next morning...

* * *

Unable to get to sleep, Sally emerged from the room that had been provided to him and stepped out into the hallway. The revelation that Dr. Eggman's abuse of the fabric of reality had weighed heavily on her mind, so much so that it had prevented her from getting sleep. The sprawling estate was far from quiet, she could make out noise, and could smell food being prepared. Heading in the direction of the living room, Sally found her companions seated out on the patio for breakfast. It was immediately clear that only the five of them that where present, with no sign of the estate's other residents.

"Mornin', Sally-Girl. Sleep well?" Bunnie asked.

"No. I've...had a lot on my mind," Sally admitted, taking a seat next to her.

"I'm not surprised," Tails commented, "I don't think any of us got a decent night's rest."

"You were up half the night working on your machine," Sticks stated.

"I just wanted to get the repairs done on the X-Tornado," Tails commented, eager to get back to Central City.

"Did you have a chance to speak with Sonic?" Chris asked.

"Yes. He was a little miffed about not being brought along," Sally replied.

"Well it's not like Sugar-Hog readily made himself available."

"That's what I told him."

Korianda stepped out onto the patio, followed by an older woman with shoulder-length black hair with red streaks. She was effortlessly carrying a tray in one hand, one that had been laden with an assortment of breakfast items with enough verity to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.

"That's an awful lot of food," Sally stated, "Aren't you afraid that it'll all go to waste?"

"We Saiyans have a ravenous appetite," Korianda explained, "Believe me when I say that it won't be going to waste."

"You should see the food bill," the woman sighed.

"It's not like we can't afford it, Adria," Tarro stated, stepping out onto the patio, Sly at his heels.

The boy quickly overtook the young Saiyan and raced over to the table, eager to partake in whatever breakfast items caught his fancy.

"Which begs the question: how?" Sally asked.

"How what?" he questioned, taking a seat and pulling the Dovahkiir child into his lap.

"How can you afford all of this?"

"Given how he can retain a penthouse suite on a month-to-month basis, I'm sure he has access to money," Tails chimed in.

"My father's the King of Sadala, so yes, I've got access to plenty of money," he explained, "This island was actually owned by some eccentric billionaire who spent his final decades living as a recluse. When he died it was auctioned off as part of an estate sale and I purchased it and the island for three times the asking price."

"Why three times?" Tails questioned.

"It was the only way to ensure that a development company belonging to one of the Old Families didn't turn the island into a luxury resort," Tarro replied.

"I see," Sally said.

"I've also come into ownership of a casino."

"Of course you did," grumbled the fox.

"Mornin'," a groggy voice greeted.

Those gathered at the table turned and found Inari standing at the patio doors, bleary eyed and clad in a white T-shirt in addition to his fundoshi.

"Morning Inari," Korianda greeted.

The boy made no reply as he approached the table, his bare feet slapping audibly against the inter-locking bricks.

"Where's Bajiru?" he asked.

"Your brother headed down to Adlewyrchu's Rest," Korianda answered.

"Speaking of missing people; where's Gherk?" Tarro inquired.

"Your brother headed to the Adriana to train in the gravity chamber."

"Wait! You mean you two aren't related?" Sally questioned, noticing the words she had used.

"I'm his fiancée," she interrupted.

"WHAT!?" the group cried out in response.

"What!? But you're like seven," Sally stated, looking directly at Tarro.

"I'm ten...well almost ten, nine and a half," he rambled, "Look, it's an arranged marriage and she's only here because Sadala is politically unstable at the moment and no one wants the heir to die."

"Well...there probably are people out there that would," Korianda commented.

"If you want to get back to Central City at a decent time then you'd better eat up," the boy suggested, wishing to put an end to the conversation.

* * *

Location: Eredas Estate

Forty minutes later...

* * *

Sally stood outside the estate's Engineering Bay, watching as the X-Cyclone marched through the open doors. The twin-tailed fox was seated behind the controls, as was usual, while Chris was seated directly behind him. Bunnie had wondered off in search of Sticks, but had yet to return with the badger in tow.

Sal," a voice said, prompting her to turn around.

Tarro was standing behind her, but without the Dovahkiir child that seemed to constantly hid within his shadow. The young Saiyan was still in his bedclothes, having not bothered with getting dressed.

"I was starting to wonder where you wandered off to," Sally said.

"I had things I needed to attend to," the boy admitted.

"I see...There's been something I've been meaning to ask you, but you've either made yourself scarce or Sly's been present."

"He's my adoptive brother," he explained, "I found him abandoned in the jungle of my island as a newborn."

"Does it have anything to do with his white hair? Cause that druid we met seemed to be the only other person with different coloured hair," Sally stated.

"Uncle Ghrian developed silver hair after bonding with the World Tree," Tarro said, "White hair is generally viewed poorly by the Dovahkiir since it doesn't blend in well."

"So they just got rid of him?"

"The Dovahkiir survived against the predators of Suvulaan because they practiced a form of eugenics; weeding out the weak and sickly."

"That's...disturbing," the Princess muttered.

"It's the exact same thing the Spartans did and Sparta was known throughout Greece as having one of the most feared military forces."

"I don't understand what you're talking about, but I'll take your word for it."

"Sly was ill when I found him, while Uncle Ghrian would've been drowned had he been a member of any other clan. His father being chieftain was definitely a factor that saved his life."

"Why is that?" Sally questioned.

"Uncle was born blind, only by bonding with the World Tree did he gain his eyesight."

"Ah can't find Sticks anywhere," Bunnie stated, approaching the pair.

"Great. Where could she have wondered off to," Sally sighed.

"It's a big island," Tarro admitted, "Shard."

 _"I'll find her,"_ the rogue Metal Sonic declared.

The robot, having been standing at the entrance of the Engineering Bay, quickly vacated the area in search of the wayward badger.

"With any luck she'll be having an argument with a racist sunflower or something," Bunnie stated.

"If only we were that lucky," sighed the Princess.

"You need to be very careful, Sal," he warned.

"I'll be alright, Tarro," Sally said.

"That's not what I mean," the boy said, "My memories might be messed up, but I know something bad is about to happen. If I get any new information I'll pass it along."

"Thanks," she replied, as she and Bunnie headed for the X-Cyclone.

Shard returned by the time Sally had climbed into the passenger seat of the aircraft, carrying an unwilling Sticks with him. She had been ranting and raving the entire way, that was until she was deposited next to the X-Cyclone and urged to climb aboard. Once the badger was seated behind Sally, Tails hit the thrusters and it lifted off the ground before transforming itself into its X-Tornado mode and flew off in the direction of the mainland, with Bunnie flying after them.

"Good luck Sal, you're gonna need it," Tarro said.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Captured

Location: Central City

Afternoon, two days later...

* * *

"What are everyone's plans for the day?" Sally asked as she and the rest of her companions walked through the halls towards the staircase.

"Suger-Twan and ah were gonna take a walk in Pigeon Park," Bunnie replied.

"And there's a sci-fi film being shown at the local theatre that a bunch of us are gonna see," Sonic said, "Think it's called 'Star Wars'. Wanna join us?"

"Think I'll pass," Sally replied, "I've been meaning to send a report to Daddy and the Council, but thanks anyways."

"Meh, suit yourself," Sonic said as he raced down the staircase.

"I'm headed down to the airport to perform some maintenance on Freedom Two," Tails said as they headed down the staircase.

"Sticks and I were planning on heading into town," Amy said.

"Keep an eye on her," Sally warned.

"Be seeing you mah Princezz," Antoine said as he and Bunnie headed out the front door.

"Bye Aunt Sally," Tails said as he raced off with Amy, Ray, and Mighty in tow.

Sally stood in the foray for a moment before heading into the den where she found the Prime Minister's Military Advisor; General Vasillj Tatarin standing in the room admiring the elegant grand piano that rested in the corner.

"Oh! General Tatarin good afternoon," Sally said.

"Ah Princess, it's nice to see you again," he said politely as he turned around.

"Has there been any development in locating Dr. Eggman?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not. Every time we manage to get a lock on his location he relocates," Tatarin replied, "He's a tricky bastard."

"He doesn't have an IQ of 300 for nothing," Sally said as she took a seat on the couch and pulled out NICOLE.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I've got to send a report back home to update the council of the situation," Sally explained, "Have you seen the Prime Minister?"

"He's meeting with Aldeo Cistler; the finance minister," the general replied.

"Ah. NICOLE establish a connection to Mobotropolis, please," Sally requested.

"One moment..." NICOLE said as her father's holographic appeared before here.

"I good to hear from you, my dear," King Acorn greeted, "How is everything?"

"I won't bore you with all the details, daddy," she replied, "I'm still waiting for the National Assembly to reconvene so I can plead our case for an alliance against the Eggman Empire."

"Hamlin's gonna have something to say about that," King Acorn sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm sure he will. I also met with our benefactor and he explained a lot of things, much of it was...disturbing," she said.

"Anything else?" the King asked.

"Not at the moment. If I have something new, I'll make sure to report in," Sally said.

"Alright. Good luck, my dear," he said as the holographic image faded away.

Sally let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose before turning to see General Tatarin standing in front of the window as he fiddled with his cell phone. Sally grabbed NICOLE, flipping her closed, ready to return her to her hip pouch when NICOLE suddenly spoke up.

"I'm receiving a transmission from Tarro, he says it urgent."

"Patch him through," she said as she reopened the device.

"I need to see you," his voice crackling through the speaker, "can you meet me behind Joeyray's Bar in Backwater Station in an hour? I have information that you need to see."

"I can but nobody else is here," Sally said.

"Come alone, a large group will draw attention," he said.

"Alright, I'll meet you there," Sally said as an odd feeling came over her as she closed up NICOLE.

"Never a dull moment, eh?" Tatarin asked.

"Not since we got here," Sally said, "and not since Dr. Eggman wormed his way into my father's court. If Prime Minister Carmichael asks..."

"I'll let him know you've gone out," he said.

* * *

Location: Backwater Station

One hour later...

* * *

The town of Backwater Station was quite literally a hop, skip, and a jump from Central City as the cab that Sally was riding in moved through the center of the town and pulled to a stop in front of a building with a vertical signal with the word bar in red neon lights and a holographic image of a woman dancing on the rooftop. The first thing that the Princess of the Republic of Acorn was aware of was how little activity was going on in the town, but she concentrated on the task at hand and paid the driver before climbing out of the back seat of the cab and began walking towards the building. The bar shared property with a small gas station located nearby with several liquid Vespene canisters that seemed to ruin the view. Sally found that the area behind the building was completely deserted leaving her slightly annoyed that she had travelled all the way from the capital only for Zulon not to show, but then again she was several minutes early. She removed NICOLE from the pouch at her hip, intent on contacting him, when she heard approaching footsteps.

"I was afraid you were going to be late," she said as she turned to find a Terran standing behind her, dressed in a hooded black robe.

Before she could even open her mouth to speak, the man slapped NICOLE's handheld from her grasp, sending it bouncing across the asphalt, before disappearing into the tall grass of a nearby field. Sally attempted to scream, but the man already had a taser pressed against her ribs, sending several hundred volts of electricity to shoot through her body. All her muscles suddenly seized up at once and she was unable to prevent herself from collapsing to the ground in a heap, her body trembled from the after effects of the electrical shock. Sally could only watch helplessly as the man approached, reaching into the pocket of his coat and removed a device. It resembled a voice synthesizer, one he held up to his mouth and produced Tarro's voice as he spoke into it.

"Hello princess," the man said.

There was a squeal of car tires as a black van barrelled around the corner and roared past and pulled to a stop next to them allowing the man to pick her up and toss her inside.

* * *

Location: Unknown

Several hours later...

* * *

Sally head pounded painfully as she slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying on the cold metal floor of a small chamber as she stared at a dull gray wall. Her body ached from the taser attack from before but somehow she had managed to push herself up off the floor and into a sitting position and saw an emblem painted on the wall in front of her. It was a large green circle with three large purple diamonds in a star formation with a smaller diamond set between two of them. She was still suffering the effect of being drugged and tasered, but immediately sobered up upon recognizing the image as the logo of the Humanity First.

"Oh hell," she said to herself as she unsteadily climbed to her feet and turned around, "I should have listened to my gut."

The room she was in was little more the a cell blocked off by a field of energy with a dirty mattress lying on floor with a small metal sink a metal toilet that was enclosed to provide her with some privacy. In the room beyond it there was a large chamber with numerous computer terminals situated in front of a large metal wall. She needed to call for help, but as she reached down for NICOLE, she quickly remembered that she no longer had her.

"Damn it," she sword as the sound of a door sliding open suddenly drew her attention.

She could hear heavy footsteps hitting the metal floor and watched as a young man with short gray hair that was parted in the middle appeared in front of the force field dressed in a red suit with gold fabric on the shoulders and black leather boots.

"Hello princess," the man said cheerfully, but in such a way that Sally suddenly felt a chill run right up her spine.

"Who are you!?" she demanded.

"Tamsen Cauley," he said, introducing himself.

"I've heard of you," Sally stated, "You're the Director of the Internal Security Division."

"It would seem my reputation precedes me."

"So you're a member of Humanity First," she stated, "What are you planning?"

"Say nothing, Cauley," another voice said, "I will not have you blabbing our plans."

Cauley turned to see another figure standing behind him dressed all in black with a hood that covered his head and a long black leather trench coat that reached right down to his ankles. Standing beside him were two individuals dressed bulky yet formfitting red armour with a full face helmet that had a green Y-shaped Plexiglas visor and armed with 2nd generation C-14 Impaler gauss rifle.

"Uh...my-my apologizes sir. I did not mean to overstep my authority," Tamsen said with nervousness creeping into his voice.

"Leave," the man ordered coldly, "I have personal business with the Princess."

Sally watched as the Director of the Internal Security Division nodded and slipped past the two motionless troopers and head the door slide shut before the newcomer removed a cardkey from the pocket of his coat and slid it in the electronic lock and punched a few buttons causing the energy field to shut down. Sally contemplated making a break for it, but quickly decided against it due to the fact that the two troopers that had escorted this mysterious individual in could and most likely would gun her down before she could even reach the door.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Like you're in any position to be making demands," the man said, "Very well, if nothing else I'll be get to enjoy the look on your face."

The man lift his hands to his face and drew back his hood back causing Sally to fail to stifle a gasp when she realized who it was.

"NO! It can't be!" Sally cried out.

"Oh yes princess...it is," General Tatarin said with a wide grin.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Lion's Den

Location: Unknown

Evening...

"You're a member of Humanity First!?" Sally cried out.

"NO! I am Humanity First," Tatarin snarled, "Our likeminded contempt for your kind has brought many men and women to the banner of my organization."

"You'll achieve nothing by killing me," Sally warned, "You'll only cause an international incident."

"You needn't concern yourself, you're far more useful to us alive," he stated dismissively, "Come with me Princess, I've got much to show you."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Sally said defiantly, but that only resulted in one of the Troopers to march forward, seizing her by the arm and hurled her forward.

"That wasn't a request, Princess," Tatarin said as he headed towards the door.

She was led through a long, brightly lit hallway by General Tatarin, the air reeking heavily of cleaning supplies. The two troopers took up the rear, silently pleading for her to attempt to make a break for it, so that they could put a slug in her back. They continued forward for several more minutes, passing by several others before reaching a large view window that peered into an equally large laboratory.

"Take a look," he suggested.

Sally hesitated before peering through the window and caught a glimpse of numerous researchers going about their business. There were rows upon rows of liquid-filled chambers in the lab, each one containing a naked Terran. It mattered not whether they were men or a women, they had a been subjected to the same, almost alien procedure. Each one of the occupants had had their hair shorn off and probes had been applied to their scalps. Not a single one of them appeared to be comfortable, some were even thrashing about violently inside their chambers. It was a horrifying sight, and she was forced to turn away, not wishing to be subjected to it any longer.

"What are you doing to them!?" Sally demanded, sickened.

"Neural Resocialization," he explained, "Each one of these men and women are being conscripted into Cauley's Cerberus Program."

"Resocialization?" Sally asked.

"It's a medical procedure that involves altering a person's brain, wiping away their memories and making them completely obedient," he explained, "The process is used on the most violent of our criminal population; the rapists and the murders, and then conscripted into military service."

"You're a monster," Sally said.

"Oh please, the Confederacy used this method and the Republic still uses it today," the General stated with a smirk, "Of course it also has the unfortunate effects of wiping away the person's unique talents and expertises. There was a program served as an alternative to Neural Resocialization, but those individuals have proven themselves to be too...troublesome. I prefer soldiers that are willing to walk into a hail of bullets when they're ordered to."

"You're a monster," Sally repeated.

"Perhaps. But I do this only for the good of the Terran Republic," Tatarin stated.

"You're creating yourself an army," Sally said, stating fact, "You're planning on overthrowing the government and expelling the Mobians."

"Oh, it's much more elaborate then that," he replied, "And you're an integral part of it."

"I'll never help you," she roared, punching the General in the ribs and running off down the hallway.

The Cerberus Troopers raised their weapon intent on gunning her down, but Tatarin had them hold their fire and watched as she disappeared down the hall.

"You can run princess, but you'll quickly discover that there's nowhere to go," he stated.

The Princess of the Republic of Acorn ran down random hallways hoping to throw off her pursuers. She didn't know how long she had been running and frankly she didn't care, all that mattered was escaping and warn the Prime Minister of Tatarin's treachery. Punching the General in order to facilitate her escape had been like punching a steel wall, and the throbbing pain in her had worried her. She didn't think she had broken it, but a fracture was a definitely a likely possibility. With her legs muscles burning, she continued to run until she saw a door at the far end of the hallway. Throwing the full weight of her body against the door caused it to give way, causing her to slam into a metal railing that caused her ribs to cry out in protest. She suddenly realized that she was trapped aboard a Liquid Vespene Drilling Platform with a hundred foot drop to the water below. She grabbed the door and slammed it shut, the pain in her injured hand flaring up as she did so. Sally activated her Ring Blades and proceeded to melt part of the door into the frame, hoping it would be enough to hold them she looked for a means of escape. Her brief respite was short lived as the door was suddenly torn free of its hinges, flying forward and slamming into the railing. She watched as both were sent tumbling into the water below, catching sight of a boot-shaped indentation as the door hurtled past. Had she not moved out of the way mere seconds earlier, she would've been knocked over the edge.

"Going somewhere, Princess?"

Sally whirled around to see General Tatarin in the doorway behind her, leaning his body up against the doorframe.

"I swear to god I'll jump," she threatened.

"No you won't," the general said, "It's highly unlikely you'll survive hitting the water and if some miracle you do survive you'll be caught by the surrounding whirlpools."

Sally hadn't been listening, her attention focused solely on the ladder that extended its way up to a higher level of the drilling platform. She dashed forward and leapt atop the railing, launching herself towards the ladder in a desperate attempt at escape. The chipmunk felt something snare her leg as she was airborne and knew instantly that it was Tatarin. He swung her body around and slammed it against the exterior wall, causing Sally to expel the air from her lungs. As she came to a rest on the metal floor, she groaned in agony as pain reverberating throughout her body. A pair of Cerberus Troopers appeared in the doorway, awaiting their orders from General Tatarin.

"Take her to Dr. Burgess' laboratory," he ordered, "Let's see if Cauley's experiment really works as he claims."

The two soldiers marched forward, seizing her by the arms and dragging her back into interior of the drilling platform.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Trojan Horse

Location: Unknown

One hour later...

* * *

Tatarin stepped into the Resocialization Lab, finding Dr. Stanley Burgess standing in the center of the chamber. It was he who was the most dominating presence within the room, not the row upon row of Resoc Tanks. He was a man in his mid-fifties with a high forehead, and dressed in a lab coat. It was immaculately clean, giving him the impression that Dr. Burgess rarely dirtied his own hands.

"Dr. Burgess," he stated, entering the laboratory.

"Ah, good afternoon, General," he greeted.

"How is the procedure going?" Tatarin inquired.

"We're nearly finished," the doctor replied, gesturing to one of the Resoc Tanks that housed the body of Princess Sally.

"So...is it everything Cauley claims it to be?"

"Oh very much so. I've had a chance to test out this subconscious-form of resocialization on...willing participants."

Having earned the moniker as the Butcher of Korhal, the General had his doubted as to the accuracy of Dr. Burgess' statement.

"When will she be ready?"

"We still have to subject her to Memory Reassignment. Can't have her blabbing about what she learned," Dr. Burgess answered.

He shoved his hand into the pocket of his lab coat, fishing out a slip of paper that he handed over to the General.

"That's the trigger phrase," he stated, "The programming will trigger once it is uttered within her presence."  
"Good. And it's obscure enough so that someone won't trigger it by accident," Tatarin commented, "I'll pass it along to Anthony."

"I've also drawn samples of her blood," Burgess announced, "Just in case we need a backup plan."

"Excellent."

There came a ping from one of the consoles, prompting Dr. Burgess to approach and study the screen. His fingers flew across the keyboard, bringing up the program that would replace her memories from the past several hours. She would wholeheartedly believe that she had been abducted by an Anti-Mobian faction seeking to prevent her from speaking before the National Assembly. She would naturally believe that she had convinced them to release her, stating that it was a poor decision and they would be hunted by the authorities.

MEMORY REASSIGNMENT PROGRAM: INITIATED

Initiating the program caused those present to hear the anguished and muffled cries of the chipmunk, but being restrained within the Resoc Tank, preventing her from being able to do anything.

* * *

Location: Prime Minister's Residence

8am, the next morning...

* * *

Sonic lay sound asleep beneath the covers of his bed and could've easily slept all day had it not been for the incisive banging on his bedroom door that roused him from his rest. The hedgehog groggily hurled the blankets off his body and trudged over to the door where he found Bunnie and Antoine, a worried look on their faces.

"Morning," Sonic yawned, "What's so urgent that you guys had to wake me?"

"Sally-Girl's missing," Bunnie said, causing the hedgehog to sober up.

"Alright...that constitutes as being urgent," Sonic said, "where'd she go?"

"We don't know," Amy said, "She left yesterday afternoon to meet with Tarro, but she never came back."

"Who?" Sonic questioned.

"Our benefactor," Bunnie replied.

"Oh," the hedgehog grunted.

"Ze Prime Minister iz being woken as we speak," Antoine said.

"Right, I'll head out and scour the city," Sonic said as he headed back inside to grab his sneakers.

"Uh...Sugar-Hog don't you think it might be better if we find out what the Prime Minister knows before we run around aimlessly?" Bunnie asked.

"Huh...since you put it that way, it does sound kinda foolish," Sonic said, scratching the back of his head, "Just let me get ready and I'll meet you downstairs."

"Right. See you in a few," Mighty said as he and the others departed.

"...Sal," the hedgehog muttered, looking down at his hand before clenching it into a fist.

Heading down stairs, the trio found the rest of their companions had gathered within the dining hall, the Prime Minister seated in a chair dressed in a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants along with his step-son who was seated in his lap still dressed in his pyjamas after having been awoken by all the commotion.

"This doesn't bold well," Carmichael said shaking his head.

"Do you know where she went to yesterday?" Sonic asked.

"General Tatarin told me that the Princess was contacted by someone named...Taa-um...oh how was it pronounced again?"

"Tarro?" Tails asked, causing Sonic to glance at him.

"Yes that's it," Carmichael said, "he wanted to see her and asked to meet with her in Backwater Station."

"Tails, I need you to contact this Tarro fellow. Maybe Sally stayed over at his place like you guys did that one night," Sonic said.

"Sally's the only one who's be contacted by him regularly," Tails said, "Even if I did know how to reach him it would seem unlikely that he would ask to meet her in Mar Sara and then take her all the way to Tyrador."

"Alright, change of plans," the Hedgehog said crossing his arms, "Bunnie, you and I will go to Backwater Station and see what we can find."

"Right Sugar-Hog," Bunnie replied.

"Tails, I want you to head to the airport and see if Sal is onboard Freedom Two, if not you might be able to use the ship's communication array to finally make contact with NICOLE."

"Rodger," Tails said.

"Amy! Antoine! I want you to conduct you search in the City Center and Coal Harbour."

"Okay Sonic," Amy said.

"Oui," replied Antoine.

"You two," Sonic said, turning to face Mighty and Ray, "I want you to search here in Beacon Hill."

"Right," Mighty said.

"That leaves you," the hedgehog said, focusing his attention on Chris and Sticks, "I want you two to remain here in case Sal returns. We need to be informed immediately if she turns up.

Both the human and the badger nodded their heads, though Chris couldn't help but feel like he was getting left out.

"Stay together, and don't get separated," Sonic warned.

"I'll consult ODIN," the Prime Minister said, "He has eyes everywhere, hopefully he can tell us something of use."

"Who or what is ODIN?" Amy asked.

"He's the Infrastructure AI for all of Augustgrad, named for the Norse Allfather. It's short for Observational Directed Intelligence Network," Carmichael explained, "If I get anything I'll contact you."

* * *

Location: Backwater Station

Ten minutes later...

* * *

It wouldn't take long for Sonic to search the entire town from top to bottom on foot, in the mean time Bunnie decided that the best course of action was to question a few of the locals to see what they knew, unfortunately she wasn't receiving anything that was helpful to her. There was deafening sonic boom and Bunnie turned to see the blue hedgehog standing behind her.

"Anything?" Sonic asked.

"Nothin'," Bunnie replied.

"Damn it," the hedgehog cursed, "Everything seems to be falling apart."

"We can only hope that the others are having better luck, Sugar-hog," Bunnie said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I just hope she alright," Sonic replied.

There was a beeping coming from Bunnie's pocket causing her to reach inside a removed a PDA, which she quickly switched on.

"I've managed to get some information from ODIN," the Prime Minister said as his face appeared on the screen, "she's been abducted."

"Abducted!" Bunnie and Sonic cried out.

"I'm sending you the video file," the Prime Minister said as his image was replaced by security camera footage.

It showed Sally standing at the back of some building waiting for someone and this went on for several second until a robed figure appear within the range of the camera. It looked as if Sally was saying something, but without any audio sensors it was impossible to tell what it was. They watched as she turned to the man seemingly surprised by his presence when the man suddenly lunged forward, slapping NICIOLE from her grasp and jabbed her in the stomach with something that caused her to collapse to the ground.

"Sally-girl," Bunnie gasped while Sonic remained stone-faced

The man appeared to have stomped on something, but that too was impossible to tell as a black van drove into view of the camera, Bunnie and Sonic could only watch helplessly as Sally was load into the back of the van as drove off with her inside.

"That sunnuvbitch set her up," Sonic hissed.

"Whoa! Hold on Sugar-Hog, we don't know that," Bunnie said.

"I'm contacting the authorities," Carmichael said, "We'll find her."

"Where'd this video come from? The rabbit asked.

"It was picked up from a security camera outside Joeyray's Bar," the Prime Minister informed.

"What are you thinking?" Sonic questioned, crossing his arms.

"Ah didn't see them take NICOLE with them."

"Which means she's still out there," the hedgehog realized, "Thanks for the info, Prime Minister."

Handing back the PDA to Bunnie, the pair headed over to Joeyray's Bar, a building easily recognizable from their location. They reached the back of the building, passing by dumpsters with rotting garbage and stopped when Bunnie spotted the security camera.

"So Sally-girl was standin' about here when she was attack, which means NICOLE is...," the cyborg Mobian began.

Sonic immediately ventured forward, ignoring the warnings of Bunnie as he searched for NICOLE's handheld.

"Found her," the hedgehog declared, emerging from the brush, NICOLE held high above his head.

"Great work, sugar-hog," Bunnie congratulated.

"Yo NICOLE, wakie-wakie."

NICOLE manifested a small, holographic avatar that hovered over the device, though red and clearly glitchy.

"5y573m 3rr0r," the AI declared.

"Oh...that's not good," Sonic commented.

"We'd better get her to Tails," Bunnie suggested.

"Yo Tails, you there?" Sonic asked, speaking into his wrist-mounted communicator.

"I'm here," the fox said, his voice emerging for the device's speaker, "I haven't been able to contact NICOLE yet."

"We've found her," he stated, "But she's got a system error."

"Any sign of Sally?"

"Naw, Sugar. The Prime Minister sent us video that shows her being abducted," Bunnie reported.

"That's not good," Tails muttered, concern in his voice.

"Can you meet us back at the Prime Minister's residence?" Sonic asked, "We'll need you to help repair NICOLE."

"Yeah, I'll meet you there."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Plan in Motion

Location: Quatre Bras

Two hours later...

* * *

The sound of traffic brought Sally back to consciousness, her brain feeling as if it was trying to crawl its way out of her skull. Winching in pain, she slowly pushed herself off into a seated position and stared out across the waters of a small lake. Trees were everywhere, providing her with more then enough shade from the heat of the afternoon sun. She had been unceremoniously dumped on the banks of the lake, and the memories of what had occurred came flooding back. She had travelled to Backwater Station to meet with Tarro, instead a group of Mobian Haters had seized the opportunity to abduct her. They had intended to prevent her from speaking before the National Assembly, but lacked the conviction to follow through on their plan, not after she had convinced them that the authorities would hound them endlessly until their capture. Glancing around, Sally was unable to determine where she was, but she was fairly certain that she wasn't in Central City. Climbing to her feet, she was hit with a wave of nausea and almost emptied the contents of her stomach right then and there. Somehow she was successful in keeping everything down, and once she felt comfortable enough, headed away from the area. Encountering no one during her trip through the park, Sally eventually ended up on the busy streets of the city. Unable to determine where she should go, Sally glanced around and spotted a coffee shop located just across the street. Making her way to the end of the street, she crossed over and made her way inside the establishment. The interior was only sparsely populated, with a black cat wearing a loose-fitting purple dress, working the counter.

"Hello, welcome to the Groovy Train," she greeted, "Are you alright, you seem out of it."

"Oh! Um, do you have phone I can use?" Sally asked.

"Around the corner, near the washrooms," the cat replied.

Sally followed the instructions and found a pay phone located on a wall just opposite of the washrooms. Realizing that she had no money, the Princess slipped her index finger into the coin slot, finding a circular piece of cold metal inside. She realized almost instantly that what she had was a quarter, and immediately used it to make her call.

* * *

Location: Prime Minister's Residence

That same time...

* * *

The Prime Minister emerged through the front doors of his residence, revealed to find that the X-Tornado had not yet departed. Sonic and Bunnie were standing at the side of the aircraft, while Tails was seated in the cockpit conducting last minute pre-flight tests.

"I'm glad you haven't left," he said, approaching, "The Princess just made contact, she's in Quatre Bras."

"Quatre Bras? Where's that?" Sonic questioned.

"It's the only settlement in Chau Sara," Tails stated from the cockpit.

"Is she alright?" Bunnie questioned.

"She claims to have been unharmed," the Prime Minister replied, "Says it was a group of bigots seeking to prevent her from speaking before the National Assembly."

"How'd she get away?" asked the hedgehog.

"Apparently she convinced them that kidnapping her was a bad choice, and that they'd be hunted endlessly. She's not incorrect in that belief."

"We'll head down there and pick her up," Sonic declared.

"Don't bother. Local authorities have already picked her up and are escorting her back to Central City," the Terran informed.

"I'm glad she's okay," Tails said.

"Me too, Sugar."

"When can we expect her to arrive?" Sonic asked.

"An hour, depending on traffic of course."

"Guess we've got nothing better to do then to wait."

* * *

Location: Central City

One hour, twenty-three minutes later...

* * *

The Police Squad car pulled to a stop outside the gates of the Prime Minister's residence, a feeling of exhaustion still with her. The officer that had been driving was speaking at the intercom, informing the security officer of their arrival. The gate slid aside, allowing the police cruiser entry, as it pulled to a stop outside of the sprawling estate. Sally's friends and companions were waiting for her outside, alongside the Prime Minister and his family.

"We were all worried about you," Amy stated, as Sally emerged from the back seat of the vehicle.

"Sorry. I should've brought one of you with me," she apologized.

"Sonic and Bunnie were able to find NICOLE," Tails stated, handing the device over to the Princess, "She suffered a system error, but Rotor and I were able to correct it."

"Thanks. I doubt Dr. Ellidy would've been happy to find out that I had lost her," Sally stated.

"I'm sure you've had an exhausting day," the Prime Minister said.

"I'm definitely exhausted," she admitted, "and I've still have to proofread my speech to the National Assembly."

As the group headed indoors, Rotor grabbed the arm of Sticks, wishing to speak with the badger out of earshot of the others.

"Did you see the way Sally was acting?" the walrus whispered.

"Yeah. She seemed way too happy for someone who was just kidnapped," she replied.

"Not the first time, but that blissful look on her face is concerning."

"Want me to keep any eye on her? Make sure she's not an evil alien clone?"

"If you don't mind. Your...eccentric behaviour will go unnoticed by the others."

Eager to accomplish her mission, the badger saluted the walrus and vanished into the interior of the house. Rotor hoped that it was the nothing, that he was worrying needlessly, but in the pit of his stomach he knew something was wrong with Sally. Until Sticks could come across evidence that would either confirmed or denied his concerns, he would be able to voice them to the others. He didn't want to needlessly spread mistrust amongst the group if it his concerns were unfounded. The walrus could only hope that he and Sticks weren't the only ones to have noticed that something was amiss, and that one of the others would say something.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: International Incident

Location: Central City

Afternoon, two days later...

* * *

The United Assembly; the seat of power in the Terran Republic was a large and possibly one oldest buildings in Central City. She had expected a building of such importance to be located in the City Center, but to her surprise it was instead located in the heart of Beacon Hill. Seated in the back of the limousine, Sally was dressed in a white pant suit trimmed in black, a handbag resting at her feet. The Prime Minister Carmichael was seated next to her, gazing casually out the passenger window as the buildings whipped past. Rotor had been acting strange since her kidnapping, and had even urged her to reconsider speaking before the National Assembly. It was a ridicules request, especially when it had taken days just for all the MPs to gather for this emergency session. The vehicle suddenly pulled to a stop out in front of the building where numerous photographers and reporters waited to snap photos or get a question answered as they emerged from the vehicle.

"PRINCESS SALLY! PRINCESS SALLY! JENNIFER SCHLESINGER FOR UNN. HOW DO YOU PLAN ON CONVINCING THE ASSEMBLY TO ALLY AGAINST THE EGGMAN EMPIRE!" one of the reporters shouted.

They ignored the numerous questions being thrown at them and marched up the steps and stepped through the entryway. All individuals were subjected to the same security check, and Sally was no different as one of the security personal went through her bag. Numerous elected officials stood chatting in the cavernous hall with walls that were covered in bright wood panels with numerous portraits hanging from them, while the floors were made of slabs of black marble laced with gold.

"By the Walkers," Sally muttered, "This place is huge."

"It's the seat for the entire Terran Republic," a voice said.

Standing behind them was a middle-aged man dressed in a dark suit with dark hair and a full beard that was heavily saturated with gray.

"Arcturus, so good to see you. Princess allow me to introduce you to Arcturus Mengsk my Defence Minister," Carmichael introduced.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he said, shaking her hand.

"Victor!" Deputy Prime Minister Jorgensen called out as he approached the group, "I think you might want to know that I've seen Goodall in the building."

"That's unusual. I was convinced that he and the rest of Humanity First would've boycotted the meeting."

"Well all of Humanity First is in attendance," Jorgensen stated.

"Afternoon, Prime Minister," a voice greeted.

The party turned to find a bald-headed man standing behind them, dressed in a finely tailored black suit.

"Princess Sally, allow me to introduce you to the President of the National Assembly; Anthony Godheim," the Prime Minister introduced.

"A pleasure to meet you, Princess," he said, "We'll be opening this emergency session of the National Assembly momentarily."

"We'd better get a move on then," Carmichael suggested.

The group headed into the Assembly Chamber; a large semicircular white chamber with a high ceiling that consists of 308 seats for the elected officials. There were other seats located in the middle of the chamber where the President of the National Assembly resided along with numerous other officials. The chamber was quickly filling up with people although Sally noticed that several remained vacant as she stood next to the Prime Minister, waiting for the emergency session to begin. Godheim took his position behind his desk and addressed the gathered assembly in a booming voice.

"Silence...Ladies and Gentlemen, can we please have silence," Godheim said, talking into a microphone.

Within an instant the chattering had become almost inaudible, allowing him a chance to resume talking.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this emergency session of the Assembly will now convene," he said as he stepped aside allowing Sally to take his place.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the United Assembly, my name is Sally Alicia Acorn; princess and envoy of the Republic of Acorn. I thank you for allowing me to stand before you and plead my case to you..."

* * *

Location: National Assembly

One hour later...

* * *

The entire Assembly Hall gave her a standing ovation following her speech, and it took great effort for Godheim to get order restored.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we will take this moment for a short recess and reconvene in twenty minutes for debate."

The Assembly Chamber was beginning to empty, the MPs heading out into the rotunda before they were required to head back inside. Sally let out a sigh of relief, allowing herself a chance to relax now that the hard part was finally over and done with.

"Ignes Fatui," Godheim whispered under his breath as he walk past.

Sally felt her very consciousness being shoved aside, her body reacting on its own as she reached into her handbag, feeling the grip of something that hadn't been there earlier. She pulled free a pistol, one made completely of hardened plastic, and aimed it in the direction of the Prime Minister. He was speaking to Corbin Phash; his Minister of Natural Resources, completely oblivious to what was about to occur. She raged within her own mind, struggling to regain control of the body that was betraying her.

"SHE'S GOT A GUN," someone screamed from the far end of the Assembly Hall.

Those still remaining within the chamber immediately turned to see what was all the commotion was about, including the Prime Minister himself.

"Run...Please run," Sally pleaded, though no words emerged.

Carmichael registered a look of confusion on his face, which was quickly replaced with one of pure terror. She pulled the trigger, striking the Prime Minister in the chest, blood blossoming across his white shirt. He stumbled backwards, tripping and striking the back of his head on the corner of one of the tables.

"VICTOR!" Corbin cried out.

He pulled off his suit-jacket and pressed it against the wound, hoping it would be enough to keep him from bleeding out. Hearing a scream, Corbin looked up to find that several MPs had forced the Princess to the ground, prying the weapon from her grasp. Apart from the immediate, the worse thing to come out of this was the fact that it had been broadcast for the entire Terran Republic to witness.


End file.
